As You Wish
by IantoCriss
Summary: Blaine and Kurt are friends. Blaine can handle Kurt dating. Can't he? Rated for violence.
1. The Kiss

**Author's Note: This takes place after Silly Love Songs, and just hours after the Warblers lose Regionals. I'm borrowing the amazing CP Coulter's houses for Dalton, because I'm not remotely creative and the woman is a genius. If you haven't read Dalton, go do it. She's a Klaine _goddess_. In this 'verse, yes, Blaine is a junior. Also, normal disclaimer bits, anything you recognize, I don't own. Thank god. I'd probably ruin it.**

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"It's okay, Wes, really!" David consoled his fellow Warbler.

"No, no, it's not! We're seniors, David! Seniors! This was our last chance to go to Nationals, and we blew it." Wes was visibly upset, but kept his voice low.

"We didn't blow it, okay? New Directions was just better than us." Blaine sighed as he put in his two cents.

"Friggen Rachel Berry. I can't believe she sang Defying Gravity. I knew we should have had Kurt do that Celine Dion song!" Blaine couldn't help himself, when Wes mentioned his friend's name, he looked up, trying to find Kurt's face among the crowd of depressed singers.

"Wes. It's over, okay man? Just go grab a drink and chill. It's not like there's anything we can do about it, so try to have a good time, alright? Jeff and Nick just came back with a bunch of Chinese food, go eat." Taking Wes's hand, David led his friend over to the piles of food and cups in the Windsor kitchen.

Every member of the Warblers were currently piled into the Windsor common room, spilling into the kitchen and small dining area. Other Dalton students were there too (of course all the Windsor boys), lounging on the leather sofas and talking quietly, everyone trying to retain some sort of dignity after the loss. Regionals had been a hard lose for everyone, but Blaine couldn't bring himself to hold it against New Directions. They had done a great job, and with Rachel Berry leading them, they couldn't be stopped. Blaine knew that he and the Warblers had done their best, but their performance wasn't as eye-catching as New Directions' was. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Kurt, who was standing tall and proud, not letting the loss get him down. He knew Kurt would be happy for his old glee club, but that he would still be upset about losing.

"Hey, Blaine. You okay?" he smiled his charming smile and nodded at Sean, one of the few freshmen in the Warblers.

"Yeah, Sean, I'm good. I'll be even better after I get some Chinese food, though." He smiled politely at the boy, then turned and walked toward the full table.

"Well, yeah, I'm not too happy about it, but what can you do? What's done is done, and that's it. I feel more bad for the seniors, though, since this was their last shot." Kurt was talking to Eric, another junior. "I mean, we still have next year."

"True. I just wish we had beaten those guys, you know?" Eric frowned.

"I do, but at the same time, I-"

"Can't help but be happy for them, right?" Blaine interrupted, smiling at the two boys in front of him. Kurt's face tightened up, and his smile looked fake now. It was a small, unconscious thing, but Blaine noticed.

"Of course. They _were_ my glee-mates, and if things had been different, I would have been onstage with them. Either way, I'm okay with what happened." Kurt had turned back to Eric, and Blaine felt like he was being dismissed.

"I'll see you guys later, I'm going to go hunt down Wes and David." Eric nodded, and said a quick "see you later" as Blaine left.

He knew he probably deserved it, the way Kurt was treating him. It still stung, though; the cold shoulder, the lack of random text messages and emails sent during class. Blaine knew he had hurt him, but it wasn't intentional; he didn't know how Kurt felt. He knew that Kurt looked up to him (figuratively, since Blaine was a few inches shorter), and that he admired him, but Blaine never knew just how much he actually liked him. And now he felt like an ass. If he had known, he never would have made himself so available, and he would have made his intentions more clear. But, what _were_ his intentions? To help Kurt, definitely, but how? What was he supposed to do to help him? He still wasn't sure. He knew he wanted to be Kurt's friend, but now that he knew how Kurt felt, he wasn't so sure that they could be. He still wanted that friendship, but he wasn't sure that Kurt could stand to be around him without getting angry. Letting out another sigh, he got to the food table.

"Ham-fried rice? Really, David? You're boring. Get more food, or at least get some sweet and sour sauce for it." Wes was trying to convince David to try more food.

"You know I don't really like Chinese food. I'll eat this, and heat up a hot pocket." David shrugged, ignoring the look of shock on his friend's face.

"A hot pocket? A… You're insane." Blaine laughed at the interaction between his two best friends.

"Hey, guys, let me in there. I need some orange chicken." They stepped aside and allowed Blaine to get closer to the table.

"At least I'm eating the damn rice. Just be happy about that." David shoveled a spoonful of rice into his mouth and rolled his eyes at Wes. Blaine laughed silently to himself as he filled a paper plate with orange chicken, a couple egg rolls, and some rice. The trio of Warblers made their way over to one of the few empty sofas, making sure not to spill any of the food. The last time they had a party in the commons (and someone had made a mess), all the Windsor boys had to clean every square inch of the place. They were _not_ going to let that happen again.

"Are you ready for Sherman's test in chem on Monday?" Wes asked the other two, a piece of broccoli on it's way to his mouth.

David's face turned white as Wes mentioned the big test for their AP chem. class. "Oh, crap. I completely spaced it. Think you can help me study tomorrow?"

"Yeah. If you don't pass this test-"  
"I know, I know. I fail. I can do it, I can, I just need your help." David turned his face to Wes, trying to use the puppy-dog eyes he usually did. Blaine (sitting in the middle) leaned back, so as not to get caught in the crossfire.

"You're an idiot." Wes said to his friend, before tossing another piece of broccoli in David's face.

"Not cool, man!" David retaliated by grabbing a small handful of his half-eaten rice and throwing it at Wes. Before it could escalate into a full-fledged food fight, Blaine quickly got up and decided to take his food to his room. He wasn't much in the mood for celebrating anyway, seeing as how they hadn't won anything. He got tired of being the happy, upbeat one sometimes. Every once in a while, Blaine needed a break. He was just a few doors down from his dorm, and the halls were blissfully quiet compared to the common room when Blaine heard Kurt's soft voice coming from the slightly open door he just passed; Jeff's room.

"Jeff, I don't know."

"Kurt, trust me. I wouldn't let anything or anyone hurt you." Blaine slowly walked back to the door, standing off to the side in case anyone in the room decided to look out. He knew it was wrong to eavesdrop, but he felt like he needed to know what was going on. No matter what had happened (or hadn't happened) between him and Kurt, Kurt was still his friend, and he was still going to look after him.

"Including you?" Kurt's voice sounded different to Blaine; it was deeper, muffled.

"Including me." Blaine heard shuffled footsteps, and peeked his head around the corner; what he saw surprised him. Jeff had his hands on Kurt's face, cupping his jaw and pulling it towards him. Kurt didn't move, and Jeff took the opportunity to gently kiss him. Blaine couldn't believe what he was seeing, he didn't even know that Jeff liked Kurt!

"Wait, wait a second." Kurt sounded breathless as he pulled back a little, his eyes hooded and full of some sort of emotion that Blaine couldn't really place.

"I'm sorry, Kurt, I-" Jeff moved his hands from Kurt's face, and started to back away.

"No, it's fine, Jeff, I just… That was my first real kiss. It surprised me, is all." Blaine had to strain to hear Kurt speak. "I really like you, Jeff." Kurt reached over to the blonde-haired boy in front of him, holding Jeff's hands in his own. Kurt leaned forward and kissed Jeff, and this time it wasn't as chaste. Blaine felt strange, almost sick. He turned away from the door, his head swimming with the sight of his two friends kissing, and walked quickly to his room.

His door slammed behind him once he was safe in the dorm room. He looked at the food on his plate, and suddenly wasn't hungry anymore. Dropping the food in the trashcan by his desk, he thought of the day when Kurt had admitted his feelings about Blaine. It wasn't that long ago, but that day was one to remember; he had gotten the Warblers to help him in serenading his crush at the time, Jeremiah. It had blown up in his face, and he was feeling really down about it. He and Kurt were in line to get coffee when he started moping about, getting angry about all the Valentine's things in the shop. That was when Kurt said that he thought Blaine was going to sing to him… He didn't think he could feel like more of an idiot at that moment. His friend, one of his _best_ friends, in fact, had these feelings for him, and he couldn't tell. He hadn't known what to say, so he just tried to be honest. He told Kurt that he was new at this dating thing, too, and didn't know what he was doing. He told Kurt how much his friendship meant to him, and he didn't want to ruin it. And Kurt just smiled and made a quip about **When Harry Met Sally**, claiming the role of Sally for himself. Blaine smiled, grateful for Kurt, when he realized something. "Don't they get together in the end?" Kurt hadn't responded, just smiled and ordered their coffees for them. It was in that moment that Blaine had really appreciated Kurt, and the fact that Kurt wouldn't make it awkward for them. Blaine just went back to being his usual dapper self, and tried to forget about Jeremiah.

The problem now was that he didn't know what was wrong with him. He should be happy for Kurt. He should want to smile and congratulate Kurt. He shouldn't want to throttle Jeff. He should definitely _not_ want to storm in there and yell at Jeff. He hadn't even asked Kurt if he could kiss him, he just kissed him. Didn't he realize what had happened with Karofsky? Or had Kurt not told him? Blaine shook his head, trying to clear up his thoughts. Leaning back on his pillow (Dalton blue, of course), he kicked off his shoes and tried to relax. He steadied his breathing (he didn't realize how worked up he had gotten), and focused on the good of the situation. Kurt needed someone besides Blaine to talk to. Kurt deserved a boyfriend who would be good to him, and Jeff was a good guy. Kurt needed to be happy, and Blaine couldn't do that, but Jeff could. He was trying to think of more good things when there was a soft knock at his door.

"Come in, Kurt." Blaine knew how Kurt knocked. The door opened, and Kurt stepped in, looking like he was glowing.

"Hi, Blaine. What's up, are you sick?" Kurt had noticed the food sitting in the trashcan, and how Blaine was sitting; his right arm over his face, his left arm across his stomach, and his legs curled up under himself. He looked uncomfortable.

"I'm fine." Blaine sat up, crossed his arms over his chest (which felt tight, but he didn't know why), and scooted farther up on his bed to make room for Kurt, who was on his way to sit down next to him.

"You sure? You don't look like you feel okay. Was the Chinese food gross?" Blaine noticed that Kurt's lips were more red than usual, and his face looked flushed.

"N-no, I just didn't really feel like eating anymore. Tired. How are you?" he smiled at his friend.

"Well, that's kind of why I came over here. You know you're one of my best friends, and you're basically the only person here I can talk to." Kurt started rambling. "I mean, I know I have other friends here, like David and Wes and Nick and Sean and Eric and –"

"Kurt." Blaine interrupted. "Just tell me what you want to tell me. Don't be nervous, just say it. I thought we agreed that we could tell each other everything?" he placed his left hand over Kurt's right one, trying to get his friend to focus.

"Sorry, I'm just out of it right now. Something happened and I don't know what to think about it, or how to feel about it. Ugh, and now I'm nervous again and I don't-"

"Kurt." Kurt looked at Blaine, his eyes worried. "Just tell me." Blaine watched as Kurt took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and exhaled.

"Jeff kissed me." Kurt's eyes were still closed, but he smiled slightly.

"Oh?" Blaine tried not to let any emotion into his voice. Kurt needed him, he couldn't not be there for him.

"Yeah. He uh, he just kissed me. And I let him. And then I kissed him back." Kurt opened his eyes and smiled bigger.

"Wow. So, I take it you like him?" Blaine let go of Kurt's hand, running his own through his hair.

"Jeez, Blaine, lay off the gel. You look like Cameron Diaz." Kurt laughed, and Blaine realized what he must have done to his carefully gelled hair.

"Shut up, you. Now talk." Blaine tried to smooth the mess on top of his head, but gave up after a couple seconds. He'd just be getting in the shower in a few minutes, anyway, no reason to try to make it look good for Kurt. (Where did that come from?)

"Well, yeah, I guess I do like him. I mean, we've been hanging out quite a bit lately, and we have a lot in common, but I didn't realize how he felt about me until tonight." He was still smiling.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Blaine asked, keeping his voice even.

"To be honest, I didn't really know. He'd never really been on my radar, but something changed tonight. Did you know that he knows my favorite designer?" Kurt beamed. Blaine knew how Jeff knew about Kurt's favorite designer: he told him.

"What else does he know?"

"What do you mean?" Kurt asked, confused.

"Did you tell him about Karofsky?" Blaine's voice was low, careful. He didn't want to upset him.

"No. I'm not that comfortable letting him know that just yet." Kurt looked down at his hands, folded on his lap.

"But you're comfortable enough to kiss him." Blaine couldn't stop the words as they came out of his mouth.

"Blaine, that's different." Kurt's voice had an edge to it, one that Blaine knew enough to be worried. He still couldn't help himself from saying what he said next.

"So it's okay to make out with him, but it's not okay to tell him about the guy who threatened to kill you."

Shock and hurt crossed Kurt's face, and he stood up.

"Wow, Blaine."

Blaine stood up too, and reached his hands out for Kurt's. Kurt backed away.

"Kurt, I'm sorry, I really am, I just-"

"You're jealous. That's what this is. You're jealous, Blaine Anderson." Nodding to himself, Kurt turned to leave.

"Jealous? Of what? I'm your friend, Kurt, I'm trying to watch out for you." Blaine walked toward Kurt, who had his hand on the doorknob.

"That I'm seeing someone and you're not. That someone likes me, and I like him back. You're jealous because Jeremiah rejected you, and you're alone while I might have someone. Jesus, Blaine. I'll tell Jeff about Karofsky when I'm ready. Kissing him and telling him about the scariest day of my life are two very different things, and I'm sorry if I don't want to run Jeff off just yet. Goodnight." With that, Kurt walked out of Blaine's room and slammed the door.

Blaine stared at the space where Kurt had just been for a few seconds before what happened hit him. "Ugh!" he exclaimed as he stalked over to his dresser. "What the hell?" He wasn't sure how he had gotten himself into this situation. He should be happy for Kurt, not angry. He wasn't angry at Kurt, no, but he wasn't really angry at Jeff. This was confusing. He was in the process of searching for some sweatpants when he heard the door open.

"Man, you missed it. David almost burned the kitchen down!" Wes walked into their room and shut the door behind him. "He put the chicken chow mein container on the stove, and somehow turned it on. Thank god for Jeff, he poured his soda on it before it really got going." Wes laughed and walked over to his bed.

"Good for Jeff." Blaine grabbed his old Ohio State sweats and a black t-shirt and slammed the drawer.

"Whoa, dude, what's wrong?" Wes paused in taking off his shoes to stare at his roommate.

"Nothing. I'm just tired." Blaine walked away from Wes, right into their shared bathroom.

"Okay…" Wes rolled his eyes and finished changing out of his uniform. He knew Blaine pretty well, and knew that whatever was going on, he'd deal with in his own time.

Inside the bathroom, Blaine was brushing his teeth, trying not to think of that twisted feeling in the pit of his stomach. Maybe Kurt was right, maybe he was just jealous. After all, he hadn't ever really dated anyone, and here was Kurt, new to the school, new to the Warblers, and was apparently kind of dating one of them. It seemed like Blaine had it all going for him, but he had to admit, it got kind of lonely being single, especially when most of his friends were attached. Having Kurt in his life was a nice break, another gay kid who had gone through hell, who Blaine could help out and mentor. Kurt was funny, smart, had a killer voice, and was a great person. Blaine really liked having him around, and yeah, it had gotten awkward since Kurt's confession, but they could still be friends, right? He finished brushing his teeth and got into the shower, turning the hot water all the way up (made it easier to get the gel out).

He showered quickly, not wanting to stay in there too long. Wes had a habit of trying to break down the door if Blaine took too long, and he didn't want to deal with not having a bathroom door again; that was the worst month of his time at Dalton.

"Feel better?" Wes asked as Blaine trudged back into their room.

"Yeah." Blaine tossed his dirty clothes into his hamper, and sat on his bed.

"Y'know, I always forget just how insane your hair is. Do you ever consider not putting all that gel in?"

Blaine grabbed his glasses off of his nightstand, sliding them on. He hated wearing contacts, but he didn't like the way the glasses looked with his uniform. "Sometimes. But at least with the gel it stays in one place and I don't look like a mop." He picked up a book he had left on the bed earlier (John Barrowman's **I Am What I Am**), leaned back into the pillows, and started to read.

"So, um, you going to tell me what's up?" Wes's voice was quiet, but he was still sitting on his bed, facing his roommate. Blaine sighed, and sat the book down again.

"Jeff kissed Kurt." Blaine said, his voice careful.

"What? Oh, man, I _knew_ Jeff liked him! David owes me 20 bucks." Wes laughed and reached for his phone.

"You knew?" Blaine was confused.

"Well, yeah. Jeff's always finding a reason to talk to Kurt, they're always walking together in the halls, and Jeff even offers to carry Kurt's bag. Oh, David's going to be so pissed, I keep winning these bets." Wes started texting, a wide smile on his face. "Wait, you didn't know?" Wes looked up, seeing Blaine's hurt face.

"No, I didn't. I mean, they've been hanging out a lot lately, but I didn't know that they liked each other." He shrugged.

"Are you okay with that? I know you and Kurt kind of had a thing." Wes's voice was quiet now, his phone sitting next to him.

"Kurt and I never had a 'thing', alright? He told me he thought the song for Jeremiah was actually going to be for him, but we've never… We're friends. That's it." Blaine felt his face go red, and was grateful for the dim light in the room. Why was he blushing, anyway? He was telling the truth, he and Kurt were just friends; he didn't feel that way about Kurt.

"So what's wrong, then? If you and Kurt were never seeing each other, and there's nothing between you guys, what's the problem?" Wes asked.

Blaine was quiet for a minute before he spoke. "There's not really a problem, I just worry about Kurt. After everything that happened to him back at McKinley, I don't want anything bad to happen here."

"What do you mean? Are you talking about the thing with that football player?"

"Yeah."

"No one here is going to bully Kurt or give him a hard time about dating Jeff. You know that." Wes tried to be reassuring.

"I know, but that's not what I mean. Kurt left McKinley because of a lot of different things that went on with that football player, and he came here because he knew he'd be safe. And yeah, he's safe here, but I don't know how he'd react if the thing with him and Jeff ended badly. You remember when Lance and Parker dated last year, right?" Wes nodded. "I don't want Kurt to go running back to McKinley because of a bad breakup. It's awkward as hell between the two of them, and I know that if it wasn't for the hell Parker would get from his parents, he would have asked to go back to his old high school. I really don't want Kurt to feel uncomfortable here, because I know he'd go back to McKinley, and that would not end well." Blaine tried to stop himself from imagining what would happen to Kurt if he ever went back there; Karofsky would make sure that Kurt shut up about the kiss for good…

"Blaine, Kurt's a big boy. He can handle himself. I know you worry about him, but he'll be fine. Even if the Kurt/Jeff thing goes sour, I'm sure they'll be fine. It's not like we've never had two Warblers date and break up before." Wes sat back on his bed and pulled a blanket over himself. "They'll be fine. Kurt will be fine. You will be fine. I'm turning off the light, you might want to get your little book light thing. Good night, Blaine." Wes scooted down his bed and pulled the blanket up to his chin, then reached out for the light switch on the wall by his bed. Blaine considered getting his book light out from his nightstand, but decided against it. He needed to sleep after the disaster that was Regionals, and he needed to get the situation with Jeff and Kurt off of his mind. He set his book on the nightstand, and put his glasses on top of it. Rolling over and facing the wall, he burrowed deeper into the blanket, and let the sound of Wes's snoring lead him into sleep.

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"Blaine. Blaine. Wake up, Blaine." He heard a soft voice from far away. "Dammit Blaine, wake up." He felt a shove, and instinctively put up his hands to push back. "Oh, goodness, Blaine, just get up." He opened his eyes to see a blurry Kurt standing above him, one hand on his hip, the other holding a coffee mug.

"Kurt?" he asked, rubbing his eyes as he sat up.

"No, it's your fairy godmother. Yes, it's Kurt. Put on your glasses." Kurt sounded frustrated.

Blaine reached over to his nightstand and picked up his glasses. After he put them on, he noticed that Kurt was still in his pajamas, too, and Wes was already gone.

"Where's Wes?" he asked, taking the coffee that Kurt handed to him.

"He's run off to go talk to David about some problem with the stove. Apparently it won't turn on now." Kurt sat down on the edge of Blaine's bed, careful to keep his distance. Blaine took a drink of his coffee, keeping his eyes on the mug.

"Thanks for the coffee." He said quietly.

"No problem. Consider it part of my apology." Kurt started picking at the threads hanging off of his old McKinley shirt, the one he wore to football practice. Blaine said nothing. "Look, Blaine, I'm sorry, okay? I just… I guess I was upset that you didn't seem happy for me last night."

"No, Kurt, _I'm_ sorry. I never should have said what I said, and I thought about it, and maybe you're right about being jealous. I'm not jealous that you're with Jeff, I'm just kind of jealous that you found someone before me." Everything tumbled out of Blaine's mouth at a rapid pace, and he was worried that maybe Kurt wouldn't understand him, and he'd have to repeat it.

The two boys were silent for a few minutes; Blaine sipped his coffee, and Kurt kept pulling at the loose threads.

"Okay, here's the deal, Blaine." Kurt turned to face his friend, and took Blaine's free hand in his. He looked at Kurt, waiting to hear what he was going to say. "I'm not sure that there is a 'thing' between Jeff and I. We kissed, that's it. There might be more, there might not, but I want the chance to find out. I want to be able to have a relationship, Blaine, because I honestly never thought I'd be able to, not here in Ohio. Then you come along, and everything happens at McKinley, and I end up here with some of the most amazing people I've ever met. Then this guy comes out of nowhere and tells me he likes me, and then he kisses me, and it's like… I don't know, Blaine, it's like sparks went off behind my eyes. I didn't think I'd ever have that." Blaine noticed the way Kurt's eyes almost glittered when he spoke about the kiss. "And the thing is, I need someone who can be there for me while I'm doing this. I need a friend who I can talk to, who can understand me, who can be there for me when I need them. I want that friend to be you, Blaine. I want to know that we can stop being jealous of each other, that we can stop with the bullcrap. I'm sorry about what I said last night, I was totally out of line. Forgive me?" Blaine was caught off guard when Kurt's rant suddenly ended, and he wasn't sure what to say. "Please?" Kurt stuck out his bottom lip in a blatant attempt to look sad and pathetic, and it was working.

Blaine smiled a small smile, then said "I forgive you. Forgive me?" Kurt didn't even bother saying anything, he just pulled Blaine up into a hug, being careful not to spill the coffee.

"Okay, now that we've forgiven each other, do you want to gossip like 14-year-old girls? Because I happen to have overheard Nick talking to Eric this morning about something David did last night…" Blaine sat back and let Kurt go on about David and something that involved his pants. He could do this. He could be friends with Kurt and be there for him, and he could be the listening ear and the shoulder to cry on. He could do this.

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**Next time: Jeff and Kurt go on their first date. How will Blaine react?**


	2. The First Date

**Author's Note: I just finished watching "Comeback". It rocked. Buuuut... *spoiler* I'm not so sure I'm looking forward to the Blaine/Rachel kiss next week. Love Kurt's reaction though! Okay, I'm done. As usual, anything you recognize, I don't own. Also, if you notice any inconsistencies, let me know, I want this to be enjoyable for all.**

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"Are you serious?" Blaine was leaning against the doorframe in Kurt and Nick's room.

"Blaine! This is very quickly going to turn into a crisis if you don't help me!" Kurt flopped onto the large pile of (mostly designer) clothes on his bed. "I have nothing to wear!"

"You're so dramatic. Here, get up. I'll help you." Blaine took Kurt's hand and helped him get up off the bed. "Okay, first of all, what's going on? Why do you have all your clothes out?" Blaine asked.

Kurt felt his stomach do a little flip, and hesitated before he answered. "Um, well…" he looked away from Blaine. "Jeff asked me out. Like, on a date. We're supposed to go out tonight. Actually, he's supposed to be by to pick me up in 20 minutes." Silence.

"Wow, he's not wasting any time, is he?" Blaine let out an awkward laugh.

"Hush, you. He kissed me two days ago, and we're going out to a movie and then dinner. It's not like he's asking me to be his boyfriend, we're just going on a date." Kurt's stomach did another flip, and he had to sit down. "That's why I called you over. I need your help picking out what I can wear. I don't want to wear anything too… Outrageous. I want to keep it kind of toned down. It's just… Other than my Dalton uniform, I don't really have-"

"Toned down. I noticed. Your clothes are definitely not boring, I'll give you that." Blaine picked up a pink and silver sparkly button-down shirt, shook his head, and dropped it back on the bed. "Okay, where are you going to eat? That's what you should dress for." Blaine started going through the massive pile of Kurt's clothes.

"He's not as fancy as you'd think he is; we're going to Breadstix. Y'know, one day I'm going to get really sick of that place." Kurt let out an epic sigh and slowly got to his feet. "I was thinking about my new black Fossil skinny jeans and my white converse, but that's about as far as I got." He joined Blaine in searching through his clothes.

"Nice start. Black and white look good on you." Kurt tried not to blush. "What about blue?" Blaine held up a dark blue long-sleeved Henley.

"Uh, how about no? I wear enough blue during the week, _thankyouverymuch_." Kurt snatched the shirt from Blaine's hand and threw it in the hamper. He did wear enough blue during the week, and while he liked the colors of the Dalton uniform, they quickly became boring.

"Okay then." Blaine laughed. "What about purple? I know you like this shirt, I've seen you wear it before." He picked up a dark purple button-down with black pinstripes.

Kurt smiled and took it from Blaine's hand. "Perfect. Now see if you can find my white suspenders and white skinny tie and I'll be right out." He picked up his outfit and walked over to the bathroom, a smile on his face. He knew asking Blaine to help him would be a good idea; Blaine knew how to be stylish without being over the top, and Kurt really could use his ideas. He took off his blue and red striped tie, placing it neatly on the counter. Soon, his white button-down and gray trousers joined the tie, and he was dressed in his date clothes. Date clothes… Again, his stomach did a flip. This was his first date. His first real date. His first real date with someone he liked. His first real date with someone who liked _him_.

"Kurt? Kurt, you okay?" Blaine knocked on the door. "Kurt, you sound like you're hyperventilating, what's going on?" It took a few seconds, but the door creaked open, and Kurt saw Blaine crouching down, holding his tie tack, which he had used to unlock the door. "Whoa, whoa, Kurt, you look like you're going to pass out. Come here." He half-crawled over to his friend, and helped pull him up to standing.

"It's a date, Blaine. It's a freaking _date_." Kurt's voice was quiet, and on the verge of squeaking.

Blaine laughed as he led Kurt over to a clear spot on his bed. "Yes, Kurt, it's a date. Are you going to be okay?" Kurt's breathing had slowed down, but his face was still white. "Seriously, are you going to be alright? I can call Jeff if you need me to, tell him that you're sick or someth-"

"No! No, i-it's fine. I'm just… Blaine. I've never been on a date before." Kurt closed his eyes and leaned back on the mess of clothes. Blaine sat across from Kurt on Nick's bed, watching his friend carefully. "So, I'm a little nervous. Okay, actually, I'm a lot nervous." He sat up suddenly. "What if I say the wrong thing? Or if I trip? Or insult him? What if I get food all over my clothes? What if-"

"Kurt. Chill. It's a date, not a meeting with an executioner. You'll be fine. Stop with the 'what if's, they won't get you anywhere. Jeff likes you, okay, and you like him. Right?" Kurt nodded. "That's all that matters. Everything will be good, don't worry." Blaine smiled and walked over to Kurt. "Now here, I found the tie and suspenders. Put them on, Jeff will be here any minute." Kurt picked up the accessories Blaine had laid out for him and started putting them on.

"Thanks, Blaine." he said quietly. Kurt worked quickly, snapping the suspenders on the tops of his jeans.

"No problem. It's what friends are for, right?" Blaine smiled. "Need help with the tie?" Kurt's fingers were shaking, and he couldn't get the tie right.

"Yeah. I still prefer bow ties, but the skinny tie looks better. Straight lines and all." His voice was quiet. Blaine moved closer to him, and placed his hands on the tie around Kurt's neck. Kurt tried to ignore the pounding of his heart, and tried not to think of the pink color his cheeks would be by now.

"Okay, now." Blaine's voice was quiet. "The rabbit hops over the log. The rabbit crawls under the log…"

Kurt laughed. "The rabbit? Really?"

"Hey, my dad taught me that when I was little. Don't make fun." Blaine smiled a half-smile that didn't quite reach his hazel eyes. "The rabbit runs around the log one more time, because he's trying to outsmart the fox. Now the rabbit dives into his rabbit hole." Kurt's breathing had slowed, and he was just focusing on Blaine's hands, still on his tie. "Kurt…" Blaine sighed. Kurt said nothing, just waited for Blaine to say whatever it was he needed to say. "Kurt, I-" a few knocks at the door interrupted.

"Coming!" Kurt jumped away from Blaine, and hurried toward the door. He flung it open, and just stood there, his jaw slack.

"Going to say hi?" Jeff laughed at Kurt's reaction. Kurt had never seen him out of the standard Dalton uniform, and he wasn't quite sure what to think. Jeff was wearing dark blue jeans, a pair of black trainers, a black long-sleeved sweater, and a charcoal gray peacoat. It was simple, but the way the shirt clung to his chest and showed every defined muscle, and the way the jeans sat low on his hips, made Kurt just about forget where he was.

"Oh, uh, yeah. Hey." Kurt could feel the blush creeping back up his neck. "You look good."

"Thanks, so do you. You ready to, um, go?" Jeff caught sight of Blaine. "Hey, Blaine, what's up?" Kurt thought Jeff's voice had an edge to it.

"Not much, man, just helping Kurt pick out some clothes." Blaine had put his charming persona back on. "As you can tell, he needed the help." He laughed and gestured toward the pile on the bed. "But now that you're here and he's ready, I'll head out. You guys have a good time. See you later." Blaine smiled and made his way between Kurt and Jeff to get out of the room.

"See you, Blaine. Thanks for the help!" Kurt called after his friend. Blaine turned back and smiled, then kept going.

"I gotta say, if he helped you pick that out, maybe I should have him help me pick out my clothes, too. You really do look good, Kurt." Jeff stepped into Kurt's room. "And holy cow, you have a ton of clothes. Do you even get the chance to wear them all?" Jeff made his way over to Kurt's bed and stared.

"No, but I couldn't leave all my clothes at home, I needed at least a few things to wear when we're not in classes. And this is only a small fraction of the clothes I own. You have no idea how much I really have." Kurt smiled, thinking of the immense collection of clothes that were still at his house in Lima. "Anyway, we better get going." Kurt moved to pick up his Marc Jacobs toggle coat (he loved Gilt Group) but Jeff beat him to it.

"Here." Jeff held it up so Kurt could put his arms in. "Again, you look great. You ready?" Kurt smiled, grabbed his keys, and nodded.

"Let's go. I don't want to miss the trailers." Jeff commented as he and Kurt made their way down the deserted stairs leading to the main doors.

"I love the trailers. My friend Mercedes always made us late and we'd always miss them. I don't think she ever figured out why I started telling her the movies started 20 minutes before they did…" Kurt smiled.

"Nice one. I've had to do that with Nick and Eric a few times. They're always late to everything, it drives me nuts."

Kurt watched as Jeff walked a little faster than he did, and got to the door. "Why, thank you, sir." He smiled when Jeff held the door open for him.

"You're welcome." Jeff held his hand out to Kurt, who took it. "Ready for The Roommate?"

"Of course."

* * *

"Oh my god, I could not believe how hot Cam Gigandet was!" Kurt exclaimed as they pulled into the Breadstix parking lot.

"I know. I loved him in Twilight, but he was so much better in this." Jeff grinned at Kurt before he got out of the car and walked around to Kurt's side. At the movie theater, he had informed Kurt that since he had asked him out, he was going to get the doors for him, and pull his chair out, no arguments. Kurt loved it.

"Thanks, Jeff. That movie was great. I'm glad we saw it." Kurt let Jeff take his hand when he got out of the car, and thought he could get used to this.

"I'm glad you came to see it with me. For a little bit there I thought I'd have to go with Wes. He's been bugging me to go see it, but he doesn't do well with scary movies. He's ruined many of my clothes with popcorn butter stains." He grimaced at the thought.

"How on earth-?" Kurt had a questioning look on his face.

"He throws popcorn when he's freaked. He just has an uncanny ability to throw it at me, even if it's pitch black in the theater." Jeff sighed, then reached in front of Kurt to open the doors to the restaurant.

"Wow. Glad to know, since Nick wants to have a Saw marathon this weekend. I'll make sure that Wes sits on the other side of the room." Kurt walked in, and went to the host stand. "Two, please." The little dark-haired hostess smiled at Kurt and Jeff, then picked up the menus.

"This way." She said. Jeff still had Kurt's hand in his, and the hostess noticed. "We've got this really great dessert that we debuted the other day. It's great for sharing. It's called the Bleeding Heart." Kurt looked at Jeff, and tried not to laugh. "Well, here's your seat! Ellie will be your server tonight." She set their menus down on a table. The booth she had taken them to was in a darker section of the restaurant, in the corner.

"Well, the secluded table, the 'bleeding heart' dessert… Think she knows we're on a date?" Jeff asked as they sat down across from each other.

"The thought had crossed my mind." Kurt grinned. "I like your jacket, by the way." He said as he took off his own coat.

"Oh this? I've had this for a while. I have a lot of peacoats, this is just my favorite." He shrugged out of it and set it to the side. "I kind of dig the purple on you."

"Well, purple _is_ the color of royalty." Kurt grinned at Jeff and opened his menu. "I really like their Caesar salad. Have you tried it?" he asked.

"You are **not** eating salad. You've got to eat real food for once. Share the lasagna with me." Jeff gave a dazzling smile, and it was impossible for Kurt to say no.

"Fine. This time. But next time, I'm eating whatever I want." He smiled.

"Next time, huh? So you want to do this again?" Jeff asked as he took Kurt's menu and stacked it on his own. Kurt's face turned red again. "I really like that shade of pink on your cheeks. It's kind of adorable."

"Better get used to it, since we _are_ doing this again. Only next time, I'm paying. And driving. And getting the doors and chairs." Kurt reached his hand across the table to hold Jeff's. "Deal?"

"Deal." Jeff let Kurt take his hand.

"Hey, boys, sorry to interrupt! I'm Ellie, your server! What can I get you to drink tonight?" their waitress had arrived, her bright red hair in a tight ponytail on the top of her head moving as she spoke.

"I'll take a Dr Pepper, and he'll take a Diet Coke. And we're actually ready to order, we'll just share the lasagna." Jeff smiled a dazzling smile at her.

"Okay! I'll be right back with your drinks!" she cocked her head to the side like a happy puppy, turned on her heel and bounced away.

"… Wow." Kurt stared at the girl as she left.

"… Yeah." Jeff leaned in toward Kurt. "What do you think she's on?"

"Vitamin D. Gotta be Vitamin D." He shuddered, remembering the one time he and the other boys from New Directions had taken the tablets before a performance. That night, he had organized his entire wardrobe by color, reorganized his room, and baked a 5-layer layer cake. He never wanted to do that again.

"Vitamin D? Oh, I see a story here. Tell me." Jeff looked interested.

"No. Nope. Not saying anything." Kurt tried to move his hand from Jeff's, but Jeff held tighter. "It was a bad time! You don't want to know!" Kurt started laughing.

"Tell me or I start singing."

"No!"

"Something really embarrassing. Like Britney Spears. Or Queen." Jeff wiggled his eyebrows at Kurt.

"I'm keeping my mouth shut. Not saying anything." Kurt mimed a zipper on his mouth.

"Alright then." Jeff inhaled loudly. "Caaaaaan, aannybooodyyy-" Kurt smashed his free hand over Jeff's lips, shushing the Queen song that was already attracting attention. Jeff raised his eyebrows, feigning innocence.

"Fine! Fine, I'll tell you what happened, just please, _please_ stop singing!" Jeff smiled under Kurt's hand. "I'm going to take my hand off of your mouth. But only if you promise not to sing. Do you promise?" he nodded. Kurt removed his hand.

"Fiiind meeee-" he put it back. Quickly.

"You promised!" Kurt squeaked. Jeff shrugged his shoulders, then winked at him. "I'm not moving my hand." At that, Kurt felt something wet slide across his palm. Instinctively, he retracted his arm and wiped his hand on his jeans. "You licked me. I can't believe you _licked_ me!"

"When a situation like that presents itself, I can't let it go by." He smiled.

"Hi boys! I'm back! Here are your drinks! Do you want straws? Here ya go, have a couple straws. Your food will be out in just a bit!" the server had bounced away before Jeff and Kurt had even realized what happened.

"Maybe she's on speed, too…" Kurt guessed.

"Maybe. But you need to tell me your Vitamin D story. I even quit singing so you could tell me."

Kurt let go of Jeff's hand (had he been holding it this whole time?) and reached for his soda. He took his time unwrapping his straw and placing it in the glass, and looked at Jeff while he took a drink. Jeff just looked right back at him, a smile on his face.

"Alright. I guess I could tell you about the Vitamin D incident. But only if you tell me an embarrassing story about you…"

"Oh, don't worry. I have plenty of embarrassing stories to choose from." Jeff laughed. "Now tell me."

Kurt let out a dramatic sigh before beginning to speak. "Well, Mr. Schue, the glee club director, set up a competition between the boys and the girls…"

* * *

"I had a really good time tonight, Jeff." Kurt was standing outside his and Nick's room, leaning against the wall. Jeff was standing in front of him, holding both of Kurt's hands in his own.

"I did too." Jeff smiled at Kurt, who's cheeks were still tinged pink. Kurt had told Jeff about the Lady GaGa performance (10 inch heels included), his Defying Gravity diva-off with Rachel, and his dad's heart attack. Jeff talked about his older sister and her life in the Peace Corps, the time he caught his own hair on fire (eyebrows, too), and his last boyfriend, who was now pretending to be straight for the sake of his politician mother.

"We _are_ going to go out again, right?" Kurt asked, his eyes searching Jeff's.

"Only if you want to." Jeff was quiet.

"Duh, of course I want to. But like I said, next time it's my treat. We'll take my car, I'll get _your_ doors, and I'll spoil _you_."

"I like the sound of that." Jeff leaned in, and Kurt met him halfway. They shared a sweet kiss, their hands still clasped together, their eyes both closed, enjoying the moment. After a few seconds had passed, they parted for air. "Wow. Has anyone ever told you that you're a great kisser?" Jeff chuckled and pulled Kurt in for a close hug.

"Oh yeah. All of my imaginary boyfriends told me I'm great." He rolled his eyes and settled into the hug.

"I gotta get back to my room, I kind of abandoned my essay for history to get ready for tonight…" Jeff sighed, but didn't let go of Kurt.

"I have a test in pre-calculus tomorrow morning that I haven't studied for. I couldn't focus on anything long enough for it to sink in, so I blew it off." Kurt tried to move his arms from around Jeff, but Jeff pulled him back in, kissing him one more time.

Kurt let himself get drawn into the kiss this time. Jeff's hands moved from Kurt's back to his hips, and Kurt gripped Jeff's coat. They stood like that for a time, kissing, holding each other close, until a loud door slam made Kurt jump.

"S-sorry, I've got to go…" Kurt mumbled his apology, his eyes staring at the floor. His lips felt tingly, almost numb. He wondered how red his face was.

Jeff kissed Kurt on his cheek, then turned to leave. "Don't worry about it, Kurt. Just remember, you're paying next time." Kurt couldn't help but smile back at the boy who had just made his head spin.

"I'll text you tomorrow." He called.

"You better." Jeff winked, then continued on his way. Kurt's stomach flipped again (how many times had that happened tonight?) and he let himself into his room. He was met with total darkness and the sound of Nick's snoring.

"Wonderful. Earplugs tonight, then." He sighed as he set his coat on the coat rack they kept by the door and slipped his shoes off. He turned on the light (Nick could sleep through anything) and decided to tackle the mass of clothes still sitting on his bed.

An hour and a half later, all of the clothes were neatly put away, Kurt was in his pajamas, and his uniform for the next day was laid out. He switched off the light, crawled into his bed, and was just about to fall asleep when his phone lit up with a message.

_You're amazing. Just thought you should know._

_-jeff_

Kurt smiled, and texted back a quick, _I already knew that. ;) See you tomorrow._ He fell asleep moments later, thinking of the kiss in the hall.

* * *

"How was the date, man?" Eric asked Jeff when he got back to his room.

"Pretty awesome. That roommate movie… You better not be getting my sister's name tattooed anywhere." Jeff was more freaked out by the movie than he cared to admit.

"Considering I've never met your sister and I have no idea what you're talking about, I doubt I will." Eric rolled his eyes and went back to the Rolling Stone he was reading. "So other than watch a weird movie, what else did you guys do?"

"We went to Breadstix. I'm really getting sick of that place. I just hope Kurt picks something different next time." Jeff had taken off his coat and shoes and was looking through his dresser for sweats.

"Next time?" Eric asked.

"Yeah, he wants to go out again." Jeff found the NYU sweatpants he was looking for.

"Do you?"

"Do I what?" Jeff asked his roommate.

"Do you want to go out with Kurt again?" Eric repeated. The short brunette boy sometimes thought his blonde roommate really was a dumb blonde.

"I do. I like him, Eric. He's cool." Jeff smiled as he changed into his sweats, leaving his shirt off. The Dalton dorm rooms had a tendency to overheat.

"Yeah, well, just make sure you don't hurt him or anything, dude. I think you might get killed for that." Eric turned the page.

"What do you mean? I doubt I'd hurt him. I like him. Are you not following me here? I. Like. Kurt." Jeff sat down on his bed.

"I know you do. But I also know that Blaine is his best friend here, and you know how he is."

"Wait, you don't think that-"

"That Blaine might like Kurt, too?" Eric interrupted. He didn't look up from his magazine, but continued. "Have you seen the way he looks at him? There's something there. I'm just saying, if you hurt Kurt, Blaine will kill you, and then be there to pick him back up and be his hero. You don't want that to happen. Just be good to Kurt, and don't flirt with other guys like you usually do. 'Cause, damn, you flirt a lot."

"… Huh." Jeff didn't say anything else, just slowly got into bed. He picked up the unfinished history essay he had left on his nightstand, and absentmindedly started working on it. It took him more time than he should have (he kept imagining Kurt's pink face after they had kissed), but soon enough, he was done. He set it back on the nightstand, then picked up his phone and shot off a text to Kurt. He had barely turned off the light when his phone lit up, and he read Kurt's message. Jeff went to sleep with a smile on his face.

* * *

"Blaine. You doing alright over there?"

"What?" Blaine looked over in the direction the other voice was coming from. He was nestled in his embarrassingly large pile of pillows, a weathered copy of Catch 22 propped up on his legs. Wes was sitting on his own bed, a concerned look on his face.

"You've, uh, been on that same page for 30 minutes. You sure you're okay?" Wes asked. He noticed how Blaine looked; disheveled, tired, and a mess. His hair was crazy, his glasses were askew, the pajamas he wore were the same ones from the last two nights (that never happened, he washed clothes the second he was out of them), and he hadn't shaved.

"I'm good, I'm… good." Blaine cleared his throat, fixed his glasses, and stretched his arms out a bit. "I'm just tired. Midterms and everything." He nodded to himself, and turned back to the book he was ignoring.

"Okay. Just, you're kind of… Off. You know you can talk to me about anything, right? I promise not to freak out next time you start talking about how hot Johnny Depp is." Wes tried to be supportive, but he could only see Johnny Depp as a badass pirate. Blaine looked like he was about to answer, when he heard the main doors to Windsor open.

"Hold on a sec." Blaine got up from the bed, letting the book fall to the floor. He opened the dorm room door quietly, and peeked outside. The hall lights were off (it was after 10, when the lights automatically went out), but he could see two figures at the end of the hall. He heard a few quiet laughs, and then realized he was watching Jeff and… and Kurt. He watched as Jeff leaned toward Kurt, Kurt moved forward, and they kissed. Blaine's stomach felt odd, and his mouth was dry. He knew he shouldn't have been watching, but he couldn't make himself shut the door. The boys broke their kiss, and for some reason, the feeling in Blaine's stomach went away. He was about to shut the door and go back to his reading when he saw Jeff move back toward Kurt, who he still had in his arms. This kiss was different, Blaine realized. This kiss was full of want, and need, and the two boys down the hall were pulling each other closer, until it looked like they had melted together. Blaine couldn't keep watching. He stepped back, and shut the door with a little more force than was necessary.

"Whoa, Blaine, what the hell? You trying to wake up the whole hall?" Wes sounded pissed.

"S-sorry, didn't realize it was that loud. I, um, I'm going to bed. I'll see you tomorrow." He stumbled back to his bed and got in, dropping his glasses on the nightstand and leaving his book on the floor. Blaine pulled his dark green comforter around his shoulders, shut his eyes, and tried to relax.

_What the hell just happened?_

Blaine fell asleep, the image of his two friends pushed up against the wall on his mind.

* * *

**Okay, so not much Blaine this time. He's in the next chapter, I promise! Also, thanks so much to everyone who put this story on their faves and alerts, and thanks for the reviews. I'm so happy, you have no idea.**


	3. The Boyfriend

**A/N: Here's Chapter 3! I had intended to do more with this one, but instead of putting the movie night in here, it's going in chapter 4.  
I need to clarify a few things: in this story, Regionals happened in the first weekend of March, so this is all taking place that week. That's why they're still wearing coats and scarves, because it's cold. It's not winter-cold, but still, cold. Thanks for all the reviews and story alerts, guys, it feels pretty much _awesome_.**

**Disclaimer: Do you recognize it? Yes? Then it's not mine. :(**

**

* * *

**

_Want to go get coffee this morning? – B_

_Sorry, can't. Jeff and I are going to breakfast in town. :( we can go tomorrow if you want, though. – K_

Blaine sighed and texted Kurt back.

_Tomorrow's great. See you then! –B_

He set his phone back on the nightstand beside him and turned his attention back to the email he was trying to write to his mother. His parents and younger brother were taking a weeklong trip to his sister's wedding in California, but with midterms so close, Blaine had decided to stay at Dalton.

**Hey, Mom. Can you do me a favor and tell Mia and Paul that I'm really sorry I couldn't make it to their wedding? I know they won't be upset with me or anything, but I still feel bad. It's just with the insane amount of homework every teacher seems to assign and all the tests coming up, I know I'd probably fall behind.**

He was a good student, but he knew that if he took any time off from studying, he would _not_ do well on his tests.

**Other than all the homework, this week has been okay. I was going to go get coffee with a friend this morning, but he's got plans. I haven't been that busy this week, just studying and reading and trying to focus on midterms. Another guy here, Nick (he's a Warbler, too) is going to have a Saw movie marathon tonight, but I don't know if I'm going to go.**

**I know you say I need to let loose every now and then, and relax, but I don't think scary movies will help me do that. Besides, Kurt will be there (he's Nick's roommate), and that means Jeff will be there, and they'll probably just cuddle and be mushy and sappy and all **_**couple-y**_** and I really don't want to see that. It's not that I don't want Kurt to be happy, I do, but it's just weird seeing him with Jeff and seeing Jeff all over Kurt and they always have their hands all over each other and they only went out on their first date five days ago and it's like they're attached at the hip and I kind of want to choke Jeff and oh holy shit.**

Blaine stared at the computer screen, shocked at what he had just typed. He hurriedly erased the whole message, shut his laptop, and shoved it onto the bed. He threw himself back into his pillows, covered his eyes, and groaned. He didn't know what was going on, but he had to deal with it before it became a real problem.

* * *

"I'm sorry I'm not coming home this weekend, Mercedes, but I've got plans here!" Kurt was trying to calm her down on the phone after he received an angry text message early that morning (_what the hell? Why aren't you comin home this weekend? This is ridic, Kurt_!), and was not doing a good job.

"What kind of plans? Is this about that blonde boy you've been hanging out with this week?" Mercedes asked, referring to the only thing she could remember about Kurt's description of Jeff.

"Maybe." He blushed. He was still laying in his bed, hair rumpled and pajamas twisted around his tall, scrawny body.

"Maybe as in 'yes'?" he could hear the curiosity in her voice.

"Yes, Mercedes. I have plans with the blonde boy." He smiled.

"I _knew_ it!" she laughed. "Hey, Berry! You owe me a 15 dollar iTunes gift card!" Mercedes yelled.

"Oh, god, seriously? What the hell is Rachel doing over there, and why are you making bets about my love life?" Kurt demanded. He tried to keep his voice down, since Nick was still asleep. He may have been a deep sleeper, but Kurt knew that if his voice got too shrill, Nick would jerk awake like he had just been doused with ice water.

"She and Tina stayed over last night and we had a girl's night. Tina's still passed out, but Rachel was the first one up." She explained. "And babe, we've been making bets about your love life for a _long_ time. You have no idea how much money has passed through our hands."

Kurt didn't know what to think. "Um, who is 'we'?" he had a sneaking suspicion that it wasn't just those two.

"Well, 'we' is, uh…" Mercedes coughed, then continued. "All of us. Rachel, Tina, me, Santana, Puck, Finn, Matt, Quinn, Artie, Mik-"

"_What_?" Kurt squeaked, and then lowered his voice when he saw Nick move under his massive blanket. "Are you kidding me? All of you? How long has this been going on? And what _exactly_ about my _love life_ have you been betting on?" he didn't know whether to be embarrassed, pissed off, or a combination of the two. Besides, it wasn't like he and Jeff had really _done_ anything. They just kissed. A lot. But it was only rated PG…

"Wow, Kurt, chill! It's not that big of a deal. It's not like we're being cruel about it or anything, we're just…"

"Making bets about my love life." He grumbled.

"Sorry." She sounded like she genuinely was. "We'll stop, don't worry about it."

"Yes, stop. Please do. But before you stop, you better tell me about these bets of yours. Or I swear on my favorite pair of Donna Karan sunglasses, I will tell _everyone_ about that incident at Target last month." He heard her gasp.

"Kurt, don't! Okay, okay, I'll tell you about the bets."

"Start talking, dollface. I haven't got all day. I've got a breakfast date with the blonde boy in an hour."

* * *

"Wow, I've never had French toast that tasted quite like that…" Kurt sighed after taking the last bite of his food. He and Jeff were in a small restaurant in downtown Westerville, called "Little Bits". It was a mom and pop kind of place; small, intimate, with mismatched tables and chairs, and a fireplace in the back corner. Jeff had led him to a table by the fireplace, but let Kurt pull out his chair. Kurt had also driven them there, gotten the doors, and already had his wallet out to pay.

"I told you this place was amazing. I've been coming here for years, and they never disappoint." Jeff leaned back into his wrought-iron chair and looked at Kurt. "You look really good this morning." Kurt blushed. "I especially like the hair today."

Kurt stayed in bed longer than he had originally planned; Rachel had snatched the phone from Mercedes and started rambling about Finn asking her back out (like he hadn't known that was going to happen) and when were they going to go on a double date and when was everyone going to meet this 'blonde boy'. She was good at rambling.

"Yes, well, don't expect to see it like this again. I may not use a lot of product in my hair, but I _do_ like it styled." He ran his fingers through it as he spoke. "But I kind of like it like this, too." Kurt smiled at Jeff.

"You should leave it like that for the rest of the day." Jeff suggested. He let himself look Kurt over, enjoying the boy in front of him.

Kurt raised a perfectly shaped eyebrow. "Seriously? The only reason it's like this now is because I didn't get up early enough to do anything about it. I had planned on fixing it as soon as we got back." Jeff pouted. "But I guess if you like it this way, I could leave it." Kurt smiled at the grin that came over Jeff's face.

"Good." Jeff looked down at his watch, then sighed. "It's almost eleven, we'd better head back. I know Wes and David wanted to have a quick rehearsal and go over some of the song ideas for next month's campus show."

"Okay, I'll be right back, just going to pay the bill." Kurt smiled, then got up. He could feel Jeff's eyes on him as he turned and walked away, and the blush took over his face again. He _really_ had to figure out how to control that particular response. Of course, he knew he had dressed well today. It wasn't often that he got to wear anything but his uniform, so when he did, he took full advantage of his expansive wardrobe. Today he had on black jeans (not skinny, since he knew he'd be eating and wanted to be comfortable), a pale green sweater over a black button-down, and his favorite pair of black Doc Marten sneakers. He had accessorized with a black and green scarf by Alexander McQueen, and a white leather watch.

"Um, excuse me, ma'am, but I need to pay our check." He said to the older woman behind the counter. She smiled and handed him a handwritten check, which he passed back with three tens. "Keep the change, thanks so much for everything." He smiled at her reaction (surprise at being given a $10 tip), and went back to the table. Jeff had already stood up and put on his coat, and was now holding Kurt's out to him. Kurt slipped it on and buttoned it up, then took Jeff's hand in his own.

"So, are you coming over tonight for Nick's movie night?" He asked, leading the way out of the restaurant to his Navigator.

"Of course, I am. Not only do I love the Saw movies, I'm also looking forward to protecting you from the scary parts." Jeff smirked, and Kurt rolled his eyes.

"I do _not_ need protecting. I'm not as delicate as everyone thinks I am." He let go of Jeff to open the passenger door, and waited for him to get settled in his seat until he shut it.

"I know you did okay on Monday night, but the Saw movies are worse. Have you even seen them?" Jeff asked after Kurt hopped into the driver's seat.

"Um, I think I watched part of one with Finn over Thanksgiving break…" he snapped on his seatbelt and started the engine. "But I'm not sure. It was either that or Deadliest Catch, I can't remember."

Jeff laughed, and the two boys continued talking about scary movies, sisters and step-brothers, cars (Kurt loved that Jeff knew about cars), and their favorite movie snacks.  
"My favorite has got to be Junior Mints. They're amazing. I mean, chocolate and mint? Who can say no to that?" Jeff asked.

"They're okay, but I prefer Red Vines."

"The licorice?"

"Oh, god, yeah. They're much better than Junior Mints. I have them almost every time I go to a movie. I'll even fight for them if there's only one package left at the concession stand." Kurt laughed, remembering the time he and Blaine had gone to see the Chronicles of Narnia. "I actually snatched a package from Blaine's hands and ran down the hall of the theater in November when he bought the last one. I didn't expect him to chase after me and tackle me to the ground to get them back, but they're his favorite, too." He smiled.

"Ah." Jeff was strangely quiet.

"Everything okay?" Kurt asked as they pulled into the parking lot by Windsor House.

"Yup." He was still quiet, and Kurt was confused.

"Jeff, you're acting a little weird. What's up?" he took the keys out of the ignition but made no move to get out of the car; he just turned toward the boy next to him.

"It, uh…" Jeff cleared his throat. "Okay. Here's the thing, Kurt: I really do like you. And I know we've only been on two dates, but I _really_ like you." Kurt smiled at Jeff, and was about to say something when Jeff continued. "But I don't know what we are. I'd like to think that you feel something for me, too, but I can't be too sure, since I hear something in your voice when you talk about Blaine." The last bit came out in a rush; Jeff was nervous.

"What?" Kurt felt his stomach drop a little.

"Is there something going on between you two?" Jeff asked, his voice low. He wasn't looking at Kurt; he was instead staring at his hands, fumbling with the seatbelt he had just taken off.

"No!" he exclaimed. "No! Jeff, there… Yeah, there _was_ something there, but that was forever ago and we both moved on! Besides, it was only one-sided and it wasn't like anything was going to happen and I like **you**!" he tried to keep his voice down, but at the end, he sounded a little forceful.

"What side?" Jeff asked, looking up at Kurt.

"Huh?"

"What side? Was it you, or hi-"

"Oh, uh, my side. But I think it was because he was the first out gay guy I had met besides me, and he helped me through all the crap at McKinley." Kurt felt a little sad at remembering his old school, and he still had that fear in the pit of his stomach from the day Karofsky threatened him. "There's nothing there, seriously. He's just my friend." Kurt reached over to take one of Jeff's hands. "Trust me, I really like you, too." Acting on an impulse, he leaned toward Jeff and kissed him lightly on the cheek.

Jeff smiled, and rested his forehead against Kurt's. "So Blaine is…"

"Just a friend." Kurt tried to ignore the little voice in his head that was yelling something unintelligible about teenage dreams and skintight jeans.

"Good." Jeff moved so quickly, Kurt barely knew what was going on; one second they were both leaning over the center console, holding hands and touching foreheads, and the next second, Jeff had pulled Kurt halfway into the passenger seat so that he was sitting on him.

Kurt let out a squeak of surprise, then let himself settle on top of Jeff. He was straddling him, one of his knees digging into the buckle of the seatbelt, the other was pressed against the warm leather covering the door. One of Jeff's hands reached up to Kurt's face, pulling him down until their lips met. The other hand had a firm hold on his hip, keeping him in place. Jeff was kissing Kurt hard, and fast, and Kurt could tell that there was want, and need, and desire there and _oh wow_ he didn't know how Jeff's hand had moved to his ass but as far as he was concerned, it could stay there. Kurt grabbed onto the collar of Jeff's red peacoat (he really liked peacoats, didn't he?) to steady himself, but that didn't help when a loud rap sounded on the passenger window.

Kurt shrieked as he fell backwards, hitting his head on the visor and slamming his back into the dash. Jeff had mostly stayed in his spot, but when Kurt had gone back, the hand that was on Kurt's ass slid to his front, and almost ended up somewhere a lot more _personal_. He snapped his hand away (hoping Kurt didn't see or feel where it was), and used it to flip off the two boys who were standing outside Kurt's SUV.

"I really hate our roommates sometimes." Kurt mumbled as he tried to crawl back to the driver's seat. Nick and Eric were already walking back to Windsor, and it was obvious that they were laughing.

"I agree. I think we should kill them tonight. At least we have ideas from the movie on Monday." Jeff smiled, and tried to compose himself. Kurt flipped down the visor to use the mirror, and gasped at what he saw: hair all over the place, face flushed bright red, lips swollen, scarf tangled and his coat hanging off of his shoulders. He heard Jeff's chuckle, rolled his eyes, then finished making himself presentable.

"You look gorgeous, let's go. We've got to get to Warbler's Hall before our evil roommates, otherwise they'll exaggerate what they interrupted." Jeff opened his door and shivered when the cold air hit his face, which was still warm from the impromptu make-out session.

Kurt followed suit, re-wrapping his scarf as they made their way across the parking lot toward the main building. "That was, um…" his heart was still pounding in his chest.

"That was 'um', indeed, Mr. Hummel." Jeff laughed, snaking an arm around Kurt's waist and pulling him closer as they walked. "So, does this mean we're officially dating?" he asked.

"I imagine it does, Mr. Lochlan." Kurt leaned into Jeff, and they both laughed a little as they walked.

* * *

Blaine adjusted his gray and red scarf around his neck, hoping to keep out some of the cold wind. He had decided to head over to Warbler's Hall early, so he could talk to Wes and David about his solo for the performance next month, but as soon as he got out the door, he saw Kurt's big Navigator pull into the parking lot.

He felt bad watching them from his partially hidden spot by the Windsor doors, but he was curious. He also highly doubted they would do anything inappropriate; they were in public. Blaine was wrong. He watched as the two boys talked for a moment, then saw Kurt sweetly kiss Jeff's cheek. Or at least he thought it was his cheek, he couldn't really tell. He was _not_ prepared to watch what happened next; Kurt being pulled from his seat practically on top of Jeff. No, he _was_ on top of Jeff, and- oh, wow. He didn't know Kurt could be that enthusiastic.

Blaine couldn't tear his eyes away from the scene, and he watched with a strange feeling in his stomach (he was feeling overprotective, right?) as Jeff's hand moved from it's spot on his hip down to his… Okay. He wasn't going to watch anymore. He was going to just turn around and walk to his destination and not think about Kurt and Jeff and hands and kissing and what the _fucking hell_ was wrong with him? He could tell his face was red; it always felt warm when he blushed like that. He was trying to focus on his breathing (it made no sense to have this reaction, he was fine) when he heard Kurt and Jeff a little ways away. He heard Jeff call Kurt 'Mr. Hummel', and Kurt respond with 'Mr. Lochlan', and then he had to lean against the old brick building to steady himself. His head was swimming, he felt dizzy, and oh, god. He was jealous.

* * *

"I still think 'Unintended' should be on our set list for next month." David said as Blaine and Wes left the rehearsal hall with him.

"Dude, I get it, you love that song. And I'm with you, Muse rocks. But only Kurt can hit some of those notes, and I don't know if we can really make that song as powerful as we usually can. If you want to do Muse, we can always do 'Butterflies and Hurricanes'. We could make that one work." Wes said to his friend.

"I guess." David sighed. "Hey, I'm going to the gas station down the road to pick up some extra soda and popcorn for tonight. Anything else you guys want?"

"Extra butter!"

"Yes, Wes, I'll get the popcorn with the extra butter. Blaine? What do you want?"

Blaine kept walking, oblivious to the fact that his friends were talking to him.

"Hellooo!" Wes stepped in front of Blaine, making him stop. "What's up with you?" he asked. "You were way too quiet during rehearsal today, and now you're walking around like a zombie. You sick?" Wes took a few steps back, as if he was expecting Blaine to throw up on him.

"No, I'm fine. I'm good." Blaine tried to smile his usual charming smile, but it didn't feel right; it was obvious that it was forced. "I don't need anything extra, just make sure you've got plenty of Diet Coke." He pulled his coat tighter around his chest and made sure his scarf was secured around his neck. "I'm going back to my room, guys. I've got homework. See you later." With that, Blaine walked away, leaving his friends standing in the hall with matching confused looks on their faces.

He was going to go to Nick's Saw marathon, but only to keep up appearances. He would stay as long as everyone else did. He would act like everything was fine. He would put a stop to this stupid jealous feeling in his chest and stomach and head and… There. There it was again, the 'j' word. _Jealous_.

He was actually grateful for the blast of cold air that met him when he opened the door, it took his mind off the feeling he was trying to fight. Okay, so he was jealous. But jealous of _what_, exactly? The day Kurt told him how he felt, Blaine had been as open and honest as Kurt had. He explained that he was new to the dating idea, too, and he didn't want to screw up what they had. He had truthfully _never_ thought of Kurt in a 'romantic' way, but now that Kurt was seeing Jeff (apparently), he thought maybe he could.

He shook his head as he thought about this, winding his way down the little sidewalk that would take him back to Windsor. Maybe it wasn't that he actually had feelings for Kurt, maybe it was just that 'taken guy' phenomenon he had heard so much about from his sister. According to her, a man became more attractive to a woman once he was in a relationship with someone else. Mia told him the idea was that once the woman saw that the man could support a woman, take care of her, and do all the things the woman wanted him for, all of a sudden he was attractive, and she desired him. Blaine wondered if the same thing applied here.

He really had never thought of Kurt as a _boy_friend, just a _friend_. But now that Jeff and Kurt were together, Blaine was seeing him as a boyfriend. He blushed deeper, and felt his face burning. No, not seeing Kurt as **his** boyfriend, just **a** boyfriend. He was seeing a different side to Kurt; a more adult, more… sexual side. He was seeing Kurt as a part of a relationship, and realizing that Kurt could do it. That didn't mean he wanted Kurt, it just meant that he recognized that he could be in a relationship. Blaine ignored the voice in the back of his mind that called him a liar, and opened the door to Windsor House. He had it figured out. Kind of. Sort of. Maybe?

* * *

**Next: Jeff and Kurt are official, Jeff and Wes have a popcorn fight, Nick and Eric embarrass their roommates, and Blaine can't find his brain-to-mouth filter in time.  
**


	4. The Truth

**A/N: I'm sorry this is up a day late (I've been posting every other day), but I got hit with a case of writer's block. Again guys, thanks so much for every review, story alert, favorite story, **_**everything**_**. I keep writing because of you. :)**

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* * *

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_Grab your clothes and get gone, _

_You better hurry up, before the sprinklers come on_

_Talking bout 'girl I love you, you're the one',_

_This just looks like a rerun_

_Please, what else is up?_

_And don't tell me you're sorry, 'cause you're not_

_Baby, when I know you're only sorry you got caught_

_You put on quite a show_

_Really had me going_

_Now it's time to go_

_Curtain's finally closing…_

Kurt was singing along to the Rihanna song playing on his iPod as he worked on cleaning up the dorm room. His side was relatively clean when he started, but Nick's looked like a tornado had touched down; it was nothing but uniforms and shoes and books and… was that a piece of pizza? Kurt shuddered and used a plastic bag to cover his hand and pick it up.

Nick was down in the Windsor common room, working on homework; Kurt had decided after coming back from rehearsal that their room was not suitable for a movie night, and kicked Nick out so he could clean. What Kurt _hadn't_ realized was just how messy the room was. He was almost finished, but then he found a pile of mess between Nick's bed and his nightstand. He found things he recognized (a few old socks, some pens and pencils), some he didn't (like the moldy pizza), and some things he didn't want to think about (used tissues).

_Come on girl, I've been waiting for somebody to pick up my stroll_

_Well, don't waste time, give me the sign, tell me how you want to roll_

Madonna's '4 Minutes' was playing. Kurt turned up the volume on the dock that was sitting on his nightstand and started singing along as he cleaned, remembering the performance he and Mercedes did as Cheerios.

_I want somebody to speed it up for me then take it down slow_

_There's enough room for both_

_Well, I can handle that_

_You just gotta show me where it's at_

_Are you ready to go (are you ready to go)_

_If you want it, you already got it_

_If you thought it, it better be what you want_

_If you feel it, it must be real_

_Just say the word and I will give you what you want_

_Time is waiting, we only got 4 minutes to save the world_

_No hesitating_

_Grab a boy, grab a girl!_

Kurt had all but abandoned his cleaning task and was now dancing and singing around his room, belting it out. He loved performing this song with Mercedes, and he loved the high he got from being the center of attention. As much as he loved the Warblers, and he did, he just couldn't help but feel smothered some of the time. They were all about the group, and being one cohesive… thing. Just once, Kurt wanted the Warblers to loosen up and do something fun. Something that didn't involve the GAP.

_Time is waiting, we only got 4 minutes to save the world_

_No hesitating_

_Grab a boy, grab a girl_

_No hesitating, we only got 4 minutes, uh uh 4 minutes!_

Kurt was so into the song (and dancing the moves he used when they performed at the pep rally), that he hadn't noticed the door open. Blaine stood leaning in the doorway, his head cocked to the side. He was walking down the hall when he heard the music from Kurt's room, and decided to stop by and see what was going on. He hadn't expected to see Kurt doing high kicks and gyrating to the music.

_Keep it up, keep it up, don't be afraid, hey_

_Madonna, uh_

_You gotta get 'em all, hot_

_Tick tock tick tock tick tock!_

_Sometimes I think what I need is a you intervention, yeah!_

Kurt did a quick spin on one foot, and promptly fell over when he saw Blaine.

"Whoa! Are you okay?" Blaine rushed toward Kurt, who had fallen onto a pile of shoes that hadn't been put away. He let Blaine help him up, then quickly shut off his iPod. He did _not_ want Blaine to hear the next song on his playlist: Teenage Dream. He'd think that he put it on there to remind him of the first time he met Blaine. Not that he did. Because he didn't.

"Yeah, I'm fine, Blaine." He smiled and tugged his old shirt down. The shirt he had decided to wear was an older one, from before his growth spurt, and sat at the crest of his hips. It showed more skin than Kurt preferred, but it was easy to clean in.

"So, uh, what was that?" Blaine asked as he sat down on Kurt's bed.

"Hmm?" Kurt's voice was higher than usual.

"The dancing? The singing? The kicks?" Blaine laughed.

"Well, that was, uh…" Kurt turned away and focused on trying to gather up the shoes.

"It looked like cheerleading." Blaine pushed himself farther back on Kurt's bed, enjoying the embarrassment he was putting him through.

Kurt stood up straight, multiple pairs of dress shoes and boots in his arms.

"That's because it _was_, Blaine." He held his head high as he walked past the boy on his bed to get to the closet on the other side of the room.

"Wait, what?" Blaine hadn't expected that to be the case.

"I was a Cheerio back at McKinley last year. I even helped them win Nationals." He said from inside the closet. He didn't see the look on Blaine's face, the look that said 'ohmygodthatsoundsso_hot_'.

"Seriously? You were a cheerleader?" Blaine sat up a little straighter. "Like, pompoms and weird arm movements and the outfit and everything?"

Kurt poked his head out, and said, "Yes, Blaine. Everything. Well, everything except the pompoms. I did _not_ do anything with pompoms. And I can't do flips. But they did a basket toss with me, and I can do the kicks." He went back to sorting the shoes.

"Wow." Blaine was quiet. "Why?" he asked.

Kurt finished putting the shoes away before he went back into the main part of the room to answer.

"Mercedes and I both joined the Cheerios after we got sick of being ignored in glee club." He said simply.

"How on earth could anyone ignore _you_?" Blaine asked. "You're kind of a force of nature." He looked away from Kurt as he said it, pretending to find Kurt's iPod and dock really interesting. His finger was right above the play button when Kurt yelled "No!", but it was too late; Katy Perry's 'Teenage Dream' started blasting out of the speakers. Kurt reached out to take it from Blaine, but Blaine pulled it out of Kurt's reach.

_You think I'm pretty, without any makeup on! You think I'm funny, when I tell the punch line wrong! I know you get me, so I let my walls come down, dooowwn_!

Blaine started singing over the track, as loud as he could.

_Before you met me, I was alright, but things were kind of heavy! You brought me to life, now every February, you'll be my Valentine, Valentiiiine!_

He jumped up from the bed, still keeping the iPod and little dock away from the other boy. Kurt chased after him, trying to pull it away from the singing madman.

_Let's go all the way tonight, no regrets, just love! We can dance, until we die, you and I, will be young forever!_

At that, Blaine set the dock on a desk and grabbed Kurt's arms, spinning him around.

_You, make me, feel like I'm livin' a teenage dream, the way you turn me on! I can't sleep, let's run away and don't ever look back, don't ever look back!_

He still had a hold on Kurt, who was trying not to let himself dance, though it was clear he wanted to. Blaine kept moving, and Kurt finally broke down and danced a little at the next part.

_My heart stops, when you look at me! Just one touch, now baby I believe, this is real, so take a chance and don't ever look back, don't ever look back!_

The two boys danced in time to the music; Blaine was dancing like he did when he first sang this song in the senior commons, and Kurt was mirroring his movements.

_We drove to Cali, and got drunk on the beach! Got a motel and, built a fort out of sheets; I finally found you, my missing puzzle piece, I'm complete! Let's go all, the way tonight, no regrets, just love. We can dance, until we die, you and I, will be young forever! _

Kurt joined in.

_You make me, feel like I'm living a teenage dream, the way you turn me on, I can't sleep, let's run away and don't ever look back, don't ever look back! _

The boys moved closer to each other.

_My heart stops, when you look at me! Just one touch, now baby I believe, this is real, so take a chance and don't ever look back, don't ever look back!_

They were standing toe to toe now, so close they could kiss. But Kurt wasn't thinking about that. Nope. He also wasn't thinking about Blaine's hands, which were no longer on his arms, but on his neck, or his own hands which were now holding onto the front of Blaine's light brown shirt.

_I'mma get your heart racing in my skintight jeans, be your teenage dream tonight; let you put your hands on my in my skintight jeans, be your teenage dream tonight…_

Kurt bent his head down at the same time Blaine leaned up. His hands felt hot on Kurt's neck, and he could feel Blaine's heart pounding under his own hands. Realizing what was about to happen, Blaine jumped back. "I-I got-gotta go." He turned on his heel and practically ran out of the room, leaving Kurt standing in the same spot, shock on his face.

_**What. The. HELL?**_ Kurt jerked himself back to reality, and slammed the door Blaine left open. He turned off the iPod and dropped onto his bed, his head spinning with what had just happened.

What _had_ just happened? They were just dancing, just singing, and then they were touching each other and Kurt wanted so _badly_ to kiss Blaine, and he thought Blaine wanted to kiss him, too. He closed his eyes, trying to remember the feel of Blaine's callused hands on his neck, the smell of his breath with his face so close (coffee and peppermint), and the look in his eyes. Kurt was so sure that he saw something there. A loud beep signaled a new text message, so he got up from his bed to find his phone. He picked it up from the desk where it sat next to the iPod that had caused all this, and read the message.

_Is it alright if I stop by before the movie? I'd like to spend some time with you before everyone comes over. ;) – jeff_

Kurt's stomach dropped. Shit. Jeff. His… boyfriend. He knew he couldn't see Jeff right now, not with what happened so fresh in his mind.

_I'd say yes, but I stayed up too late last night and I'm recovering from the mass of homework and cleaning I just did. I think I'm going to take a nap, but you're welcome to stay later tonight, if you want. :) – K_

He pressed send and hoped Jeff would leave it be. He needed to figure out what to do, or if he was going to do anything at all.

_No problem, babe. Get some rest, you'll want to be wide awake for the movies tonight. ;) I'll see you at seven. – jeff_

Kurt glanced at the alarm clock on his nightstand: it read **4:17**. Maybe he would do what he actually told Jeff he would do, and sleep. Some sleep might clear his head.

* * *

_Kurt feels a pair of soft yet callused hands gripping his hips, pulling him toward the warm body below him. Lips meet his throat, kissing, sucking, biting. He hears a low moan, and it takes him a second to realize he made the sound. He moves his hands from the curls on the boy's head below him to a chest that's firm and hot, and feels the harsh staccato heartbeat. He dips his head, his lips meeting the jaw of the other boy. He kisses from one earlobe to the other, then moves up to the lips he so desperately wants to taste. The boy underneath him uses his hold on Kurt's hips to flip him over, and now Kurt's on his back, a soft blanket cushioning him. Before he realizes what's going on, the lips are back on his neck, and his shirt is over his head. The hands move from his hips to the his pants, and he feels the button pop, and hears the slide of the zipper. A guttural sound escapes his lips once he realizes what's going on. He feels a hand reach inside, and hears a melodic voice say-_

"Wow, Kurt, the room hasn't looked this good since I moved in. Nice job, dude." Nick had just walked in the door; the slam of it woke Kurt.

"Uh, yeah. Thanks." Kurt sat up, being careful to keep the fluffy blanket up to his chest. "Just do me a favor and stop keeping half-eaten food in here, 'kay? That was just gross."

"Sorry about that, I just forget to throw it away sometimes." Nick shrugged, and dropped his backpack onto his bed. "You ready for tonight?" he asked.

"Huh?" Kurt was staring off into space. "Oh, yep. Looking forward to it, actually. What time is it?"

"It's almost 6. What time did you pass out? You sounded like you were having a nightmare. All that moaning and groaning. You okay?"

Kurt coughed, realizing that Nick had heard him when he walked in. "It, uh, it's nothing. Just not really a scary movie fan, and I had read a few of the spoilers for the movies tonight before I took my nap. I guess it just freaked me out…" he really hoped Nick would believe him; it was awkward enough that he was hard, he didn't think he'd be able to face Nick if he knew what his dream had _really_ been about.

"Man, if the spoilers scared you that much, I don't know if you'll even be able to watch the movies." Nick shook his head and sat down on his bed. "You sure you want to stay and watch them?"

"I'll be fine, Nick. Don't worry about me." Kurt said. He moved a little in the bed, and was relieved to find that he wasn't as 'excited' as he had been when he first woke up. This really wasn't fair; boys had it much worse than girls.

"Plus you'll have Jeff here to keep you company, right?" Nick laughed. "He'll cover your eyes at the scary parts."

The thought of Jeff made Kurt feel sick to his stomach. He had just had a rather vivid dream, and he was sure it was about Blaine. Blaine was the only person he knew with curly hair and hands like that, so the dream must have been about him. He was dreaming about his crush (former!) who he had just had an almost-kiss with while he had a _boyfriend_.

"Kurt? Kurt?" Nick was standing in front of Kurt, waving his hands in his face.

"Sorry! Sorry, I'm more tired than I thought. What did you say?" Kurt smiled, trying to squash the guilt he felt in his chest.

"Dude. Maybe you need to go back to sleep for a bit. I said I was going to take a shower, and asked if you needed to use the bathroom before I did." Kurt shook his head. "Alright. I'll be out in a little bit, go back to sleep. I'll wake you up before everyone gets over here." Nick walked to the bathroom, hoping Kurt would be alright for the movies that night.

Kurt kept the stupid smile on his face until he heard the bathroom door close, and then he threw himself back onto the bed and pulled the blanket over his head. "Ugh!" he groaned.

* * *

"Fuck." Blaine shut the door to his dorm behind him. He leaned against the wall, and slid down to the floor, his head in his hands. "Fuck." He closed his eyes. "What the FUCK?" he yelled, not caring who heard him or what they thought. This was ridiculous. What the hell was he thinking, singing and dancing like that? Singing _that_ song? Why did he have to touch Kurt? Why his _neck_? He had really gone off the deep end, and he was officially **confused**. He sighed, and got up from the floor. He was really grateful that Wes was still downstairs, otherwise he would have started asking questions.

He knew that what happened in Kurt's room had the potential to completely destroy their friendship, and that made him feel sick. He needed Kurt, he really did. He needed someone to keep him grounded, someone who could make him remember what life was like outside the safe haven that was Dalton. But… he felt like he needed something else from Kurt, too. He hadn't realized it until just now, when they were standing so close to each other and he could feel Kurt's breath on his lips, but he was falling for him. Blaine Anderson was falling for Kurt Hummel, and he had no idea what to do about it.

* * *

Jeff was sitting in his bed, playing Super Mario Brothers on his DS, thinking about the kiss in Kurt's SUV that morning. He loved the way Kurt's lips settled against his own, the way Kurt's hands felt against his chest, and he liked feeling the weight of Kurt pushing down on him. He'd never admit it to anyone, but he had fallen head over heels for Kurt. A smile spread across his face, realizing that he could now call Kurt his 'boyfriend'.

"Boyfriend…" the word sounded amazing to him. The last boyfriend he had wasn't speaking to him anymore; his mother had asked him politely to leave Jeff, since a gay son could ruin her political career. Simon Clark was a year older than Jeff, and unless you knew him, you wouldn't know that he was gay; he was good at playing straight. He was on the varsity soccer team at Dalton, and although he was still there, he avoided Jeff like the plague. Simon hadn't been Jeff's first kiss, that was a boy in 8th grade, Matt Harker. Matt and Jeff didn't really date, they just kissed a few times, to see what it was like, but Simon… Jeff had really felt like that was love.

Simon was about as experienced as Jeff, so they fumbled through all the of the firsts together; they even lost their virginities to each other. Jeff remembered the awkwardness that night, and the whispered confessions of love when it was all over. Two weeks later, Simon sent him a text message that said _'sorry, cant do this anymore. Mom cant risk losing the campaign, she says me being out will do that. Im really, really sorry, jeff.'_

He frowned at the memory. This was going to be different. Kurt was out and proud, and had no qualms about it; he was the polar opposite of Simon. Simon was athletic and quiet, reserved and a bit of a nerd. Kurt was a performer at heart, not remotely quiet, a bit of a fashionista, and while he was smart, he didn't spend all his time with his nose in a book. If Jeff was being honest with himself, Kurt wasn't what Jeff was usually attracted to, but over the last couple months that he had been at Dalton, Jeff had really fallen for him. He set down his DS and sent Kurt a text message, asking if he could stop by before the movies that night; he wanted to spend some one-on-one time with his boyfriend before everyone flooded into the small dorm room. He was a little disappointed when Kurt messaged him back saying no, but he understood. Besides, spending time with Kurt after the movies would be nice. Hell, spending _any_ time with Kurt was nice. Jeff went back to his game, fantasies of he and Kurt on his mind.

* * *

"Okay guys, some ground rules tonight." Nick stood by the large tv on the dresser (they had taken it from the common room), a remote in his hand. He looked around at the group of boys in front of him, spread all over the room, and launched into a short list of rules he and Kurt had thought of. "Number one, any mess you make, you clean up. Kurt spent forever today cleaning, and he'll probably kill you if you make a mess. Just saying."

Kurt nodded in agreement. "Remember, I know where all of you sleep. I'm also very crafty when it comes to revenge." The boys just looked at one another, not wanting to find out what kind of damage Kurt could do to each of them.

"Number two, if you have to talk, do it quietly. Number three, Wes, no throwing popcorn. If you get butter stains on anything, I'll hold you down while Kurt murders you. Your gavel can't save you in here." Wes looked down at the large bowl of popcorn on his lap, and handed it to David. "Good. Thanks. Um, number four, don't do a running commentary. A few people here haven't seen the movies, don't spoil it for them. Kurt, did I forget anything?"

"If you use our bathroom, don't make a mess. I worked like Cinderella to get it clean today."

"'Kay. Uh, soda's in the cooler over here by the dresser, if you want some, get it now." Sean and David got up and grabbed cans of Diet Coke and Dr Pepper, then passed them out. Nick turned the light out, then maneuvered his way around the boys on the floor to reach his bed, where Eric and Max were already sitting, another bowl of popcorn on Eric's lap. Nick pushed play on the remote, and watched as the screen opened on a scene of a dilapidated bathroom.

* * *

Kurt felt like the first movie would never end. He also knew that Nick had the next three movies, but he didn't think they'd watch all of them; staying up until 3 am to watch this was not his plan. Of course, it helped that he was practically sitting in Jeff's lap, Jeff's legs tucked under his own. They were leaning up against Kurt's headboard, snuggled in close together, with Jeff's arms wrapped around Kurt's waist, and the blanket covering their legs. No one else sat on the bed with them. Nick was still on his bed, with Eric and Max sitting next to him. Wes and David were sitting on large pillows (also taken from the common room) next to Nick's bed, and Sean was laying on his stomach right next to them. Blaine was sitting in Kurt's desk chair, behind the two beds and along the wall by the bathroom.

Kurt was trying not to think of the earlier events of the day, and just focus on how it felt to just be with Jeff. He moved his hands from the over the blanket to under it, and pulled Jeff's hands away from his waist. Rather than say anything, Jeff let Kurt move so that he was sitting next to him. Kurt moved to lay down, pulling Jeff with him. He doubted anyone would pay attention to them; everyone was glued to the tv.

"What are you doing?" Jeff whispered into Kurt's ear.

"Getting comfortable." Kurt smiled, a devilish glint in his eye. Jeff raised an eyebrow, but burrowed under the blanket with his boyfriend. He didn't expect Kurt to start kissing him, but he was more than okay with it when Kurt did. Jeff had his eyes closed, but he could feel one hand on his hip, and another on his cheek. He moved his hands to hold Kurt's waist, and was surprisingly met with warm, soft skin; apparently his shirt had ridden up when they had moved under the covers. Kurt gasped quietly at the contact, but rolled his body closer to Jeff's. They were oblivious to the goings-on around them: Nick clutching his soda can, Eric and Max on either side of him, both hugging pillows. Wes and David were both munching on the popcorn, and sharing a soda. Sean was already asleep, and Blaine was staring mindlessly at the television, trying not to pay any attention to what was going on in Kurt's bed.

The two boys were kissing each other lazily, just enjoying one another. Jeff started inching closer to Kurt, almost desperate to feel more of him. Their bodies finally met; hips to hips, knees to knees, chest to chest, and he heard a soft moan escape from Kurt's lips. Jeff really liked that they were the same height.

"Aaah!" Wes shrieked, and seconds later, an entire bowl of popcorn was tossed directly on top of Jeff's head.

"Every! Damn! TIME!" Jeff jumped up from the bed, leaving Kurt alone and covered in buttered popcorn. Wes yelled again, lifting his hands up to protect his face as Jeff jumped at him. "ALWAYS WITH THE POPCORN!" someone, possibly Eric, tossed a half-empty popcorn bowl at Jeff, who caught it and dumped it all over Wes. The yells were enough to wake up Sean, who scrambled for cover by the door. Blaine just watched, used to this kind of thing from his house-mates. Kurt sat in his bed and stared at the popcorn that covered it, starting to get a little pissed off.

The scene in the room was getting a little crazy, because Wes and Jeff were now both grabbing as much popcorn as they could, and pelting it at each other. It was getting on the tv, leaving buttery streaks, pieces were on both beds, and almost every boy in the room had at least a handful or two of it thrown in their faces.

"Enough!" Nick finally shouted, flipping on the lights. He knew it was all in jest, but he also knew that Kurt might just kill someone if they didn't stop, and blood was harder to get out of the carpet than butter. "Guys, chill!" Jeff and Wes looked guiltily at their friends.

"Sorry, guys." Wes said.

"Yeah, sorry." Jeff added. "We'll clean it up."

"Oh, you better." Kurt glared at his boyfriend. Everyone looked at him. Blaine almost choked on a piece of popcorn (he had caught it flying through the air) when he saw what Kurt looked like. Even though he was sitting up, his shirt was still pushed up, and his lightly defined abs were on display. His hair was a little messy, but his face was a deep pink color, and his lips looked almost bruised from all the kissing he and Jeff had been doing. "What?" Kurt saw how everyone was looking at him.

"Kurt, you, uh…" Wes started to say something but stopped when Jeff shot him a glare. Blaine was blatantly staring at Kurt, his eyes resting on his stomach, watching it rise and fall with every breath he took.

"Jeez, guys, if you wanted some time alone to get down and dirty, you could've just said so." Eric laughed.

Kurt pulled his shirt down and looked sheepishly at his friends.

"I mean, we're all in here, you could've gone into Eric and Jeff's room…" Nick winked at his roommate. "We'd give you some privacy." He laughed.

Jeff went back over to Kurt's bed and pulled him up. "On that note, we'll see you guys later." Kurt followed his boyfriend to the door, slightly confused.

"Where are we going?" he asked.

"My room." Jeff said simply.

"Oh! Hold up!" Nick shouted. He turned on his bedside lamp and opened his top nightstand drawer. Eric guffawed when he saw what Nick was getting. "Here, keep these. They might come in handy." He tossed a few condoms at Jeff. Jeff caught them, but threw them back.

"Don't worry, I've got it covered." His face was red, but Jeff still stood tall. "Let's go, Kurt."

Kurt was too embarrassed to really say anything other than "this better be cleaned up by the time we get back!" and followed Jeff out the door, hoots and wolf-whistles coming from the boys in the room.

The door shut quietly and they started walking to Jeff's room, their bare feet shuffling along the carpeted hall.

* * *

"Hey, I didn't mean anything by that, back in the room. With the, uh, condoms, I mean." Jeff said.

"No! No, I didn't think you did. We've only been dating for a few days…" Kurt trailed off. He let Jeff take his hand as they walked. Jeff was quiet until they got to his door.

"I'm sorry, I didn't even ask if you wanted to leave. Is this okay?" he asked.

"Yeah, it's fine. From what I saw from the movie, I was freaked out. I'd rather just relax." Jeff opened the door and let Kurt inside.

"Understandable. I was kind of freaked, too." He turned on the light. "You can, um, go ahead and sit down wherever. Want to pick out a non-scary movie?" he shut the door behind him.

"Anything funny?" Kurt asked as he sat on Jeff's bed.

"Night at the Museum work for you?" Kurt nodded. "Let me find it, and I'll put it in." Jeff smiled, and walked over to his small tv on the dresser and pile of dvds next to it. He had just found the movie when he heard a knock at the door. "Who is it?" he was hoping whoever it was would just go away and leave him and Kurt alone; he was starting to get irritated with all the interruptions.

"Blaine." Kurt looked up at the door, a strange feeling in his stomach.

"Come in, man." Jeff said. "It's unlocked." He would be locking it as soon as he left.

"Thanks." Blaine opened the door and stepped in. Kurt looked at him, taking in his appearance: dark gray sweatpants and a black zip-up hoodie, unzipped just enough to show a hint of the light dusting of chest hair he had. "Uh, Kurt, can I talk to you? In the hall?" Jeff shot a look at Blaine, a look that plainly said _hell to the no_. "It's kind of important."

"Um, okay. Go ahead and get the movie started, Jeff, I'll be right back in." he smiled at his boyfriend as he got up.

Jeff nodded, his jaw tight. "I'll pause it at the start for you." Kurt passed him to get to the door, and kissed him as he walked by. That made Jeff feel slightly better, but he was still suspicious as to why Blaine was there, asking to talk to _his_ boyfriend.

* * *

"So what do you need, Blaine?" Kurt asked once they were out in the hall. Blaine had walked down a few feet from Jeff's door, not wanting him to hear what he was going to say. He heard the cold in Kurt's voice, and while he didn't want to admit it, it hurt. He was sick of the tension between the two, and he had to do something.

"I'm sorry."

"What?" Kurt was confused.

"I'm sorry. For earlier today, in your room. That wasn't… I shouldn't have done that." Blaine looked down at his hands, and started pacing.

Kurt sighed. "Shouldn't have done what?" he wanted Blaine to say it.

"You know." He looked up at Kurt, who had his arms folded and was leaning against the wall.

"No, Blaine, I really don't. What did you do?" he let his anger show through. "What did you do in my room today?"

"Kurt, I-"

"No. Say it. We agreed to always be honest with each other, remember? Are you going to back out of that now?" Kurt pushed away from the wall and moved toward Blaine. "You need to tell me what the hell that was today, because I'm really starting to get confused. You tell me that you don't want to screw up this 'friendship', that you don't know what you're doing. You say you want to stay friends. Then as soon as someone else shows interest in me, you act like somebody stole your toy. Well Blaine, you weren't using it, so why shouldn't someone else?" he snapped.

"You're not a damn **toy**, Kurt!" Blaine said, a little louder than he intended. "I didn't want anything to change between us! I liked being your friend, okay?" he took a deep breath and turned away from Kurt before he spoke again. "I just wanted to be your friend."

"We _are_ friends, Blaine." Kurt was quiet. "But friends don't almost-kiss. They also don't sing duets like we did, or flirt like we did. That's more than friends."

Blaine faced Kurt again. "I know. And I'm sorry. I didn't want that, either." He shook his head.

Kurt moved toward Blaine, a question in his eyes. "Then what _did_ you want? Because today, you seemed like you wanted…" Kurt's voice changed to a whisper. "wanted to kiss me."

Blaine looked into Kurt's eyes, searching for something. "I did." He admitted. "I did. God, Kurt, I'm so sorry, but I did." His voice broke. "I thought I could do this, I thought I could be friends with you. I didn't even know how I felt about you, I had no idea!"

Kurt felt like someone had hit him with a baseball bat. "… What?"

Blaine put his hands on Kurt's upper arms, desperate to know that everything would be okay. "I think I want you, Kurt. I think I want to be with you." He could hear his heart pounding in his ears while he waited for a response.

"I…" Kurt stepped away from him. "I'm sorry." his face fell. "I can't. Not now, Blaine. Did you hear what you just said?" Blaine looked confused. "You just said you _think_ you want to be with me. Not that you _want_ to be with me, but you _think_ you do." Kurt shook his head. "I deserve better than that, Blaine. I deserve someone who really does want to be with me. Someone like Jeff." He glanced back at Jeff's door.

"Kurt, I-" Blaine started, before Kurt cut him off.

"Jeff wants me. I know he does. He has no issues telling me he wants me, and more than that, I want him. Blaine, you had your chance. I told you how I felt a few weeks ago, and you've had all that time to do something about it. I'm sorry, but I'm with Jeff." Kurt looked like he was about to cry. "I wish you had figured this out before."

"I'm sor-" Kurt put his hand over Blaine's mouth.

"Don't. Please, just… don't." he dropped his hand to his side. "Give me some time, okay? I still need you around, but not for a while." Blaine didn't say anything as Kurt turned away from him and walked back to Jeff's room. "Good night, Blaine." He stepped inside, not looking back.

* * *

"Hey, babe. Everything okay?" Jeff was sitting on his bed, lights off in the room and movie paused at the beginning, like he said. Kurt shut the door and nodded, then walked over to Jeff and crawled into bed with him.

"Do me a favor?" he asked, his voice thick with tears.  
"Anything." Jeff was worried; what the hell had Blaine said?

"Kiss me." Kurt grabbed Jeff's shirt and pulled him close. "Just fucking kiss me." All Kurt felt a moment later was Jeff's mouth, warm and inviting and pressed against his own, their tongues fighting for dominance. This kiss is just what Kurt needed; passion and energy and need and _desire_. He needed to get Blaine's face, broken and hurt, out of his mind.

Kurt tugs at Jeff's shirt, trying to tell him without words that it needs to go. When Jeff complies, Kurt takes his shirt off too, and then they're back on the bed, Kurt pressed down, with Jeff on top of him. Jeff looks down, his eyes hungry, and when he moves his hips, Kurt feels _exactly_ how much Jeff wants him. He leans down, and Kurt pushes Blaine to the back of his mind as their lips meet again; he won't think of him when he's with Jeff. He can't.

* * *

Blaine walked slowly to his room, trying to keep his emotions in check. Until Kurt came into his life, control was never anything he had an issue with. Until Kurt came into his life, he thought he was okay with being single. Then he met Jeremiah, and somewhere in his head, the wires got crossed and he humiliated himself trying to prove just how he felt.

He got to his room and opened the door, which he left unlocked. Wes was still down with the other boys, finishing the movies, so he'd be alone for a while. Blaine didn't bother turning on the light, he just locked the door and walked to his bed, then dropped back onto it. He couldn't get Kurt's words out of his mind. _I told you how I felt a few weeks ago, and you've had all that time to do something about it. I'm sorry, but I'm with Jeff…_

Blaine knew he had blown it. Kurt was right, he had known since before Valentine's Day how Kurt felt, and he didn't do shit. He rolled over on his bed and clutched a pillow to his chest, and for the first time in a long time, he let himself start to cry. He had his chance, and he'd blown it. Kurt didn't want him anymore, he wanted Jeff. Blaine _wasn't_ wanted.

* * *

**Next: Jeff confronts Blaine about what happened in the hallway, and Blaine doesn't hold back. Finn comes to visit Kurt, and things get messy.**


	5. The Friends

**A/N: You guys rock. You have no idea. Also, I'm running on Red Bull right now. Yes, 11 pm in Wyoming and I'm on Red Bull. I have work in 8 hours… Oh, boy.**

**Disclaimer: If you recognize it, it's not mine. Yeah, sad face.**

* * *

"This is your last warning, Mr. Anderson, put your phone away." Mrs. Hayes glared at Blaine, who had been checking his phone every few minutes.

"Yes, ma'am." He said quietly, and put it back in his pocket. It was Wednesday, four days since he and Kurt had last spoken, and it was killing him. On the outside he looked much the same; polished, well spoken, happy and polite. On the inside, he was panicky, tired, nervous, and quite frankly, miserable. By his third hour AP English (where he was now) he usually had at least three or four text messages from Kurt, but, as it had been all week, his phone was completely devoid of any sort of message from the taller boy. Blaine spent the rest of the hour paying just enough attention to Mrs. Hayes to jot down the notes on the board, waiting for the class to be over. As soon as the clock on the wall said **10:50**, Blaine was out of his chair and on his way to the door. The Dalton class schedule was simple: school started at 7:30 in the morning, and ended at 3:30 in the afternoon, with each class lasting exactly one hour, with 10 minutes between them. There were no bells, so the students relied on their watches or the classroom clocks to tell them when to go, and the teachers, if they chose, could keep the students for up to five minutes after class was over.

"Blaine, what was up back there, man?" Wes followed him out of the classroom as he made his way toward his 4th hour class, world history.

"Huh?"

"With the phone. You've been acting weird all week, and now you're getting in trouble in class. You're like, every teacher's favorite, you never get in trouble."

Blaine rolled his eyes at Wes, and kept walking. "I'm not _every_ teacher's favorite, just a few. And definitely not hers, she's never liked me."

"Okay, fine. But you still got in trouble. Why did you have your phone out, anyway?" Wes asked.

"No reason." Blaine was quiet.

"Oh, come on, Blaine. Seriously?" Wes scoffed. "Dude, if you want to talk to Kurt, you'll have to go to him. It's not like you don't know where he lives, and besides, we've got Warblers every night." Blaine shook his head. "He's not going to talk to you unless you approach him. He's got that look on his face when he's around you, that 'talk to me and you die' look. Trust me, I've seen it a lot since Saturday night and the popcorn fiasco." Wes shuddered; Kurt had made him take his sheets and comforter to the dry-cleaners, and it was not cheap.

"I can't, Wes. He told me to leave him alone. I don't want to make it worse." Blaine looked down at his feet as they walked. "He's mad at me. And he should be."

"Alright." Wes stopped walking and grabbed Blaine's shoulder, pulling him into an empty classroom they were passing. "You have _got_ to tell me what the hell happened. You've been acting like a kicked puppy and he's never gone this long without talking to you."

"I don't have time for this, Wes." Blaine growled at his friend.

"Bullshit. We still have 8 minutes before we have to be in class. Now tell me, before I ask Kurt."

"Leave him alone." Blaine glared at Wes, who still had a hold of his arm.

"I will if you tell me what's going on. Does this have anything to do with him and Jeff leaving Saturday night?"

Blaine stepped away from Wes and sat down at one of the empty desks. He dropped his bag on the floor, and rested his head in his hands. "Yeah. Well, kind of. It's more about what happened Saturday afternoon." Wes motioned for him to continue and sat on the desk at the front of the classroom.

Blaine took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and started to talk.

* * *

"Eric, I don't want to talk about it." Kurt sighed as he slung his backpack over his shoulder and the two boys left Mr. Christiansen's biology classroom.

"Why not?" Eric followed Kurt, having to jog a little to keep up with the taller boy.

"Because."

"Blaine's your best friend, and by now you've usually got your phone out, texting him so fast it looks like your fingers are going to fall off." Eric was right; between classes, Kurt and Blaine were always texting each other. Eric would bet his extensive PS3 video game collection that the majority of texts Kurt sent, were sent to Blaine.

"He's not my best friend. Mercedes is." Kurt's voice was cold.

"Okay, fine. But Blaine's your best friend here, I know he is."

"… What's your point?"

Eric knew that Kurt was getting pissed off, but he had to find out what was going on. "You and Blaine haven't talked since Saturday night. You guys are constantly talking, and I just wondered if everything was okay with you two."

"No. Not right now." Kurt kept his eyes ahead, refusing to show any emotion to his boyfriend's roommate. "He upset me, and I don't want to talk about it. Okay?"

"Alright." Eric clapped Kurt's shoulder, then walked away. He needed to find Jeff.

* * *

Jeff was leaving his junior English class, on his way to biology. Eric had the opposite; he went from biology to English. Since the beginning of the semester, the two had passed their class notes to each other when they passed in the hall. It wasn't exactly 'Dalton-acceptable' behavior, but it was a way to make classes easier.

"Jeff! Jeff, come here, man." Jeff saw Eric coming toward him, a determined look on his face.

"What's up?" he asked once Eric got to him.

"You need to talk to Kurt."

"I _have_ been talking to him. He's kind of my boyfriend." Jeff laughed, but then stopped at the look on Eric's face. "What's going on?"

"He and Blaine aren't talking."

"So?" Jeff knew that they weren't talking, but he didn't know why. Honestly, he didn't really care. He was just enjoying the fact that Blaine no longer took up any part of their time together, except at rehearsal. "What's your point?"

"Something's gotta be going on between them if they're not talking. Do you know if anything happened between them Saturday night?" Eric asked.

"No, nothi-" Jeff stopped. Something _had_ happened that night. Kurt had gone out in the hall with Blaine for a few minutes and came back upset. Even though Jeff had planned to ask him what had happened out there, Kurt had practically thrown himself on Jeff when he came back in. Kurt seemed to have been fine by the time they fell asleep, so Jeff didn't think about it again. "Where's Blaine going this hour?" he asked.

"Uh, I think he's going to world history. Wait, where are you going?" Eric yelled after Jeff as he turned on his heel and started running down the hall.

"Shit." Eric muttered as he got his phone out and texted Nick.

_911: Jeff's looking for Blaine, he looked pissed. Stop him if you see him! – prince eric_

Nick had World Civilizations 4th hour, which was right across the hall from Blaine's class. Maybe Nick could stop Jeff.

* * *

"Ugh, I freaking hate it when Mr. Wilkins goes on about the Rolling Stones." Nick said as he and another senior trudged out of their music tech class. They had midterms the next week, and their teacher insisted on playing his favorite music non-stop while they were studying. Nick felt like his brain was going to explode.

"Uggghhh." Brian groaned in response.

Nick felt his pocket vibrate, and slipped out his phone.

_911: Jeff's looking for Blaine, he looked pissed. Stop him if you see him! – prince eric_

"Great." Nick mumbled. "Just great." He looked around the hall as he walked, not really listening to Brian's complaints about Mick Jagger, just looking for the tall blonde boyfriend of his roommate. He didn't have to wait long, Jeff was jogging up the hall just a few minutes later.

"Nick, have you seen Blaine?" he was just a little breathless after running from one end of the school to the other.

"Nope." He truthfully hadn't.

"Damn." Jeff swore.

"Why? You'll see him tonight at rehearsal." Nick really wanted Jeff to go to his 4th hour class before Blaine came around the corner. He didn't know what was going on, but he could tell that Jeff didn't look pleased with Blaine.

"I just need to talk to him." Jeff looked at his watch. "Dammit. I've only got three minutes to get back over to the science hall. Do me a favor?" Nick nodded. "If you see Blaine, can you tell him I need to talk to him?"

"Sure."

"Awesome. See you later." Jeff turned around and ran back down the hall.

"What was that all about?" Brian, who had seen all this happen, asked.

"No freaking idea man, no idea." He shook his head and kept walking.

* * *

_Meet me out at my car for lunch? – jeff_

Kurt smiled and texted him back.

_Of course. Want me to bring anything? – k_

_Just you. You're all I need. :) – jeff_

Kurt grinned wider; Jeff made him so happy.

_Alrighty, then. See you in an hour. :* - k_

Kissy-face emoticon was okay, right?

_Can't wait. :* - jeff_

Apparently so. Kurt slid his phone back into his pocket, before Mr. Stark could see it and take it away. He looked at the clock on the wall: **11:06 am**. Drawing just might be the longest class of the day.

* * *

At 12:03 in the afternoon, Kurt found himself walking out to the parking lot, searching for his boyfriend. He finally saw Jeff, who was leaning on the hood of his charcoal gray Camaro. He had gotten it as a Christmas present, even though the new car wasn't exactly fit for Ohio weather. Now that there was less snow on the ground, though, Jeff took every chance to show it off.  
"You know, that car looks much better with you next to it." He said as he got to his boyfriend.

"Oh, really?" Jeff wrapped his arms around Kurt's waist, then kissed him. Kurt smiled into the kiss and pulled his head back.

"Really." He pecked Jeff on the cheek as he stepped back, then asked, "So where are we going for lunch today?"

Jeff walked around to the passenger door and held it open, waiting for Kurt to get in. "I figured we could go back to Little Bits. You haven't had any of their lunch food yet, so I thought I'd treat you today. Is that okay?" he asked.

Kurt smiled up at him from his seat. "As long as I'm with you, it's more than okay." Jeff leaned down to kiss him properly, then shut the door. He didn't see the curly-haired boy who was watching from a window in the main hall. He didn't see the pain in his eyes, or the way his fist hit the window ledge. Jeff didn't see Blaine, but Kurt did. Kurt saw him, and had to stop himself from running inside to hold him, and tell him it was okay. By the time Jeff had gotten into his seat and started the car, Kurt had plastered a smile on his face, and Blaine was pushed to the back of his mind.

* * *

"Awesome, guys, awesome. The harmonization there was perfect." Thad praised the other Warblers. "I guess since everyone did so well…" he smiled, "we could let out early." He was met with loud shouts of agreement.

The large group of boys filed out of the rehearsal hall, everyone happy that for once, Thad had loosened up a little and let them out at 5 instead of 6. He had discussed it with Wes and David beforehand, but they had all agreed that if they did a good job, rehearsal could be cut short.

Blaine thought he was the last one out of the room, but he hadn't noticed Jeff hanging back, over by the piano.

"What's up, Blaine?" Jeff asked as Blaine reached the door.

"Oh, hey, Jeff." Blaine tried to keep his voice even. He was sure this was about Kurt, and about Saturday, but he didn't know how much Jeff knew.

"I want to talk to you, is that alright?" Jeff sounded nice enough, maybe he didn't know anything.

"Uh, yeah. Sure." Blaine set his bag down on the piano bench and turned to face Jeff. "What's going on?"

"I need you to tell me what happened Saturday night." Blaine felt his stomach drop. Jeff was looking him straight in the eyes, his jaw set and his eyes cold.

"Saturday?" Dammit.

"Yeah. Tell me what you talked to Kurt about Saturday night, outside my room." Jeff was quiet, his voice even.

"He didn't tell you?" Jeff shook his head. "How about you ask him, then? He _is_ your boyfriend now, right?"

"I don't want to upset him. Seems to me that any time someone brings you up in conversation, or says your name, he gets upset. I don't want to do that to him." Jeff shrugged.

"But you'll ask me." Blaine sighed. "Fine. You want to know what happened?" Jeff nodded. "I told him how I felt, okay?"

Jeff stared. "What do you mean, you 'told him how you felt'? How exactly do you feel?"

Blaine gathered up all the courage he had (ha), and opened his mouth. "I want him, Jeff. I want to be with him."

"… What?" it was barely a whisper. Jeff felt like someone had hit him in the stomach with a crowbar; this is what he had been afraid of. He knew that Blaine had been there for Kurt when things were getting bad at McKinley, and he knew that they were close, but he didn't think this would actually happen; that Blaine had feelings for his boyfriend. Eric was right.

"I'm sorry, Jeff, I really am, but I can't make it go away. I really, _really_ like Kurt, and I had to tell him." Blaine tried to look Jeff in the eyes, but Jeff looked away.

"You're sorry? You're fucking _sorry_?" Jeff slammed his fist on top of the piano, making Blaine jump at the sound. He spun back around, fury in his eyes. "You told Kurt, my **boyfriend**, that you want him? What the hell made you think you could do that?"

"You don't know him like you think you do, Jeff. You only know the happy Kurt, the Dalton Kurt. You don't know a damn thing about who he really is." Blaine got closer to the taller boy. "Did he ever tell you about what happened at McKinley? Huh? Did he tell you about Karofsky? About slushie facials, being tossed into dumpsters?" Jeff took a step back from the angry boy in front of him. "You don't know _shit_, okay, Jeff? You don't know anything about who he _really_ is. You really want to know who your boyfriend is? Then ask him about his life before **you**." Blaine was seething with anger, his heart pounding in time with his breathing. "Good night, Jeff." He snapped up his book bag and stormed out of the rehearsal hall, leaving Jeff standing by the piano, a shocked look on his face.

* * *

Kurt was sitting on his bed, listening to music and doing homework when he heard the little beep that signaled a text. He picked up his iPhone (with the new fake diamond-studded cover) and read the message.

_We need to talk. Now. – jeff_

_Okay… what's up? – k_

He didn't have to wait long for a response.

_I talked to Blaine. Meet me at my room in five minutes._ _- jeff_

Kurt's stomach flipped, and he felt sick. What did Blaine tell him? What did Jeff say to Blaine? Oh, god, was Jeff going to break up with him?

"Kurt, you okay over there, man?" Nick asked when he heard Kurt's panicked breathing. He sat up in his own bed and looked at his roommate, who's eyes were wide. Kurt's knuckles were white from how tight he was holding his phone, and Nick wondered if he had insurance on it.

"Y-yeah." Kurt slowed down his breathing and closed his eyes. "Yes, I'm okay." He took a deep breath.

"You sure?" Nick was wary; he knew that Kurt's dad had a heart attack a while ago, and he hoped this had nothing to do with that. "Everything okay, like, at home?"

"Yeah! No, um, everything's fine at home. Fine." Kurt was still trying to control his breathing. "I've got to go over to Jeff's room for a bit, though. I'll be back." He put on a fake smile, and got up from the bed. Nick nodded at him, still worried.

It wasn't until a second later, once Kurt was already out the door, that he realized something was up with his roommate and his boyfriend.

"Crap." Nick grabbed his phone and sent a quick message to Eric, hoping he would get it before Kurt got over there.

_Dude, you might want to get out of your room. Kurt's on his way over, and it doesn't look pretty. – nick_

* * *

Eric had noticed how pissed Jeff was when he got to the room and slammed the door behind him.

"Um, what the hell?" he asked. He was at his desk, trying to study for his world history midterm, and he couldn't do that if his roommate was slamming doors and throwing his shit around like he was now. "Whoa, watch it!" he shouted as Jeff's bag almost hit him. It landed behind the chair, but still, it was close enough.

Jeff mumbled an apology and picked up his bag. He dropped it on his own desk, then collapsed onto his bed. Eric heard more mumbling, something about "fucking Blaine Anderson", "stupid asshole", and "what's a Karofsky?".

"Jeff, what the fu-" Eric was about to ask, but stopped when Jeff gave him a death glare. "… Never mind, then." Eric turned back to his workbook.

"Blaine likes Kurt." It was muffled by the pillow Jeff had pulled over his face, but Eric still heard it.

"Told you." He ducked out of the way of the pillow just in time; it hit the window instead. "You missed."

"Shut up." Jeff sounded strangely pathetic.

Eric spun his chair around so he could face Nick. "Okay, so Blaine likes Kurt. You like Kurt. You know what the difference here is?" Jeff shook his head. "_You_ are the one with Kurt. You are the one who is his _boyfriend_. Understand?" it really was like talking to a 4-year-old. "Now chill out." He moved to turn around but Jeff spoke up.

"Blaine told him how he felt. Saturday night. That's what they were talking about in the hall." Jeff let out a miserable groan.

"And you told me he came back in and jumped your bones after they talked."

"Your point?"

"Um, he didn't jump Blaine's bones, did he?" Jeff's eyes widened at the thought. "No! No, dude, calm down. I'm not saying he did, I'm saying he _didn't_!" Eric had his hands up in a defensive position; it looked like another pillow might make it's way over to him. "I'm saying he decided to come in and make out with you rather than stay in the hall and even _talk_ to Blaine!"

Jeff lowered the pillow. "True." He flopped back down on the bed. "But what do I do? I mean, I know Kurt told Blaine he liked him last month, but he said he didn't feel that way anymore. What if Blaine saying it back means Kurt feels that way again?"

"If he did, he wouldn't be with you today. You guys have been damn near inseparable since Saturday, so I doubt he feels anything at _all_ for Blaine. You have nothing to worry about."

"I don't know…" Jeff raised an eyebrow. "Why the hell am I talking about it with you?" it was like he had an epiphany.

"Um, I don't know. Why _are_ you talking about this with me? Why not talk to Kurt?" Eric knew he had made a mistake as soon as the words left his lips.

"Good idea." Jeff got up and went over to his bag, searching for his Droid. Eric had already started gathering his things, knowing that Kurt and Jeff were either going to end up arguing or heavily making out (and either way, he didn't want to be there for it), when his cell beeped, and he read Nick's message. Well. At least he could study in Nick's room.

* * *

Jeff had barely noticed Eric's departure, he was so nervous about what was going to happen. He was just going to ask Kurt for his version of Saturday night. And maybe ask about McKinley. He hated to admit it, but Blaine was right; Jeff really didn't know as much about Kurt as he should. Blaine had been the one who was there for Kurt when things got bad at his old school; he had been the one who got him the audition for the Warblers, and who helped him get used to the school. He obviously knew more about his boyfriend than he did, and he needed to fix that right away. Three timid knocks sounded at his door, and he hurried over to open it. As soon as he did, he wanted to wrap the boy on the other side up in his arms, and kiss away the scared look on his face. It took all his strength not to.

"Come in, Kurt." His voice sounded strangely formal. Kurt said nothing, but stepped inside the room. Jeff had to take a step back before he touched Kurt, because he knew as soon as he did, any anger he had for the situation at hand would dissipate, as would his control.

Kurt shut the door behind him, and ran a hand through his hair before he sat down on Jeff's bed. "What's going on, Jeff?" his voice was quiet, and Jeff could hear the fear.

Before he spoke, Jeff sat on Eric's bed. He didn't want to sit next to Kurt; he needed to see his face when he told him what happened. "I need to know exactly what happened Saturday night. Out in the hall, with you and Blaine." Jeff kept his voice steady. "And I need you to be honest with me."

Kurt could feel himself shaking. How much did he know? Had Blaine told him anything? Oh, god, did he know about the almost-kiss?

"Kurt. I need you to start talking. Please. I-I really, _really_ need to know what happened." Jeff heard his voice break a little, and he realized just how upset Blaine had made him.

Kurt took a deep breath, then began. "Blaine told me that he thought he wanted me." He kept his eyes on the ground, not daring to look at Jeff. "But I told him he had his chance, Jeff. And I told him he blew it." He looked up through his bangs, afraid of what he'd see. Jeff just looked at him, his eyes curious.

"Is that it?" he asked.

"Basically. I mean, he was a lot more wordy, but yeah, that was the gist." He really didn't want to tell Jeff about what had happened earlier in the day; telling him that could really screw up their fledgling relationship.

Jeff let out a breath he didn't realize he had been holding in. "And that's it? Nothing else?" Kurt shook his head. "Blaine said something to me today, after rehearsal."

Kurt had wondered where Jeff was. "What did he say?" he was scared now.

"The same thing. That he told you how he felt." Kurt felt relieved, but that was short-lived. "And that I only know the happy you. That I don't know anything about McKinley. I mean, he brought up the slushies, and you told me about that. But he said something about dumpsters. And someone named Karofsky." Kurt couldn't stop it, he actually convulsed as Jeff said the name. Even here, 4 months after the fact, he still couldn't escape. "Baby?" Jeff had rushed over to Kurt's side after he saw him shake. He brushed a tear from his cheek (Jesus, he was always crying. This was when Kurt really hated his lack of self-control), and pulled Kurt into a hug.

"I, I can't." Kurt was shaking, but let himself settle into Jeff's arms.

"You need to tell me. We haven't been together long, but that doesn't matter. I need to be able to trust you, and I can't do that if you won't tell me about your life." He held Kurt tighter. "I really care about you, okay? But I can't be there for you unless you tell me about your past." Jeff moved one of his hands from Kurt's back to run it through his soft brown hair.

Kurt closed his eyes, and thought for a moment. Jeff was right; they needed to tell each other things to really get to trust each other. And there really wasn't any reason to _not_ tell him about his life back at McKinley, since he was safe at Dalton. "If I tell you, you can't tell anyone else. Promise?" he moved a little so he could see Jeff's face.

"I swear." Jeff kissed his forehead.

"Okay." Jeff pulled them both farther up his bed, and let him lay on his chest. Kurt took a shaky breath, then started his story. "I was the only out gay kid at McKinley, and it wasn't too bad at first. I mean, I told you about the slushie facials, but that wasn't all they did."

* * *

It was only 7 pm when Kurt got back to his room. He had told Jeff almost everything, including Karofsky's death threat. He told Jeff about Blaine's part in his life, although he did leave out just how bad his crush on him was. The only other part of the story he left out was Karofsky forcibly kissing him; he really didn't want to tell anyone. The only person who knew _exactly_ why Karofsky threatened him was Blaine, and he wanted it to stay that way. It didn't feel right, no matter how much Kurt hated Karofsky, to out him like that. No, Kurt would be the bigger man, and leave him alone. Let him suffer in his own closet for a while.

He had been thinking about Jeff and how nice his arms felt when he heard a knock at the door. He glanced at Nick, who shook his head; neither one of them was expecting anyone. Since Nick had turned back to his book, Kurt hopped out of his bed to answer the door. He was about to tell whoever it was to go away when he was swept up in a bone-crushing hug.

"Brother from another mother! What's up!" Oh god. Finn was here.

* * *

"Mmffpht!" Kurt was trying not to get smothered, but it wasn't working.

"What?" Finn hadn't gotten the clue, and was still holding tight.

"Mmfpht!" This time, Kurt used his hands and tried to push away from his step-brother.

"Oh! Crap! Uh, sorry dude." He let go, and Kurt gasped.

"What, the hell!" Kurt leaned over, trying to catch his breath.

"I wanted to come see you. You haven't been home since before Regionals. We, uh, well, I missed you." Finn smiled his half-smile, the one that used to make the butterflies in Kurt's stomach to backflips. Now it was just the goofy smile of his goofy step-brother.

"I miss you, too, Finn. Um, come on in. This is Nick, my roommate. You've met before." Kurt gestured to Nick, who smiled, then went right on back to reading his book. "You wanna go down to the kitchen with me? I'll make us some food. You're probably hungry." As if in response, Kurt heard Finn's stomach growl. Finn smiled, and followed Kurt out of the room.

"So how's everything at home? How're the parents?" Kurt asked as they made their way down the stairs.

"Eh, they're good. I never see them, though. Mom keeps working extra shifts at the hospital, and your dad is always at the shop." Finn looked around as they walked; he would always be in awe of this place. He was even in awe of Kurt, who had always been one to push the boundaries of fashion, but was walking in front of him wearing the uniform of a boys school.

"He better not be pushing it." Kurt sighed as they got to the Windsor kitchen, which was thankfully empty.

"No, man, he's just like, sitting behind the desk and doing boss stuff. I've been helping him out." Finn said proudly. He really liked working in the shop, surprisingly.

"Good." Kurt started going through the fridge, while Finn sat down at one of the barstools. He pulled out a carton of eggs, and decided to make omelettes and biscuits. That was the great thing about breakfast food; it was always good. "I really feel so much better about being here now that you and Carole are at home with him."

"Yeah, but dude, we miss you." Finn sounded sad.

"I know, Finn. And I miss you guys, too, but I've got a life here now. Plus you know I won't go back. Not while…" it was quiet. "Not while _he's_ there." Kurt focused on trying to gather the ingredients for the biscuits.

"I get it. I do. We just want to see you more. All of us, not just the family. New Directions really misses you, too." Kurt wondered if Finn was trying to guilt him into coming back. "But we want you to be safe more than we need to see you. I'm just glad you're okay here." Kurt heard the smile in Finn's voice.

"And I'm glad you came to visit. I'm sorry I didn't come home this weekend, but we've got midterms next week and believe me when I say the testing in here makes the tests at McKinley seem like learning your ABC's in kindergarten." They both laughed.

"Well, at least we know Brittany would never last at a school like this." Finn joked, and they kept laughing. They talked and joked for a bit while Kurt was mixing ingredients.

"Oh, crap Finn! I'm so sorry!" Kurt gasped and covered his mouth after he accidentally covered his step-brother in a large amount of flour. He had turned the beaters on too early; they had barely touched the flour, and the resulting mess made Finn look like a ghost.

"…" Finn was silent. He just stood up. Kurt thought for one terrifying second that Finn would hit him or shove him as he moved closer, but he hadn't expected Finn to dip his hand into the large mixing bowl, grab a handful of flour, and blow it in Kurt's face.

"Ohmigod!" Kurt shrieked. "Finn!" Kurt dropped the beaters on the counter, reached into the bowl and grabbed a decent amount of the flour mixture. Before they knew it, Kurt and Finn were having an all-out flour war.

* * *

"Finn! Not fair! Not fair!" Jeff heard Kurt's high-pitched voice as he went down the stairs. Wasn't Finn his step-brother? Jeff was worried, it sounded like a fight or something was going on. He jumped the last couple steps and ran into the kitchen, right into the solid frame that was one Finn Hudson.

"Jeff!" Kurt looked at his surprised boyfriend, who was torn between fear and anger and staring up at Finn.

"Kurt?" Jeff looked at Kurt, waiting to hear what was going on.

"Jeff, this is Finn, my step-brother…" he motioned with a powdery-white arm toward the giant boy in front of him. Wait.

"What's going on? Why are you guys all white? And… whoa. This kitchen looks like Scarface's desk…" Jeff's eyes widened at the mess in front of him. "Babe? You wanna tell me what's going on?" Kurt looked like he was about to answer when Finn said something.

"Babe?" He asked, looking at Kurt. "Uh, like the pig?"

Kurt turned pink under the mask of flour on his face. "Um, no, Finn." He walked over to Jeff and took his hand; he liked it that Jeff didn't pull back from the flour-covered arm. "Jeff is, well, he's… my boyfriend." Kurt smiled.

"…Boyfriend?" Finn was quiet. "Like, _boyfriend_, boyfriend?" he looked Jeff up and down.

"Yes, Finn. Like _boyfriend_, boyfriend." He shook his head.

"Nice to meet you, Finn." Jeff extended the hand that wasn't currently taken.

"Mmph." Finn grunted as he shook Jeff's hand.

"Finn." Kurt's voice warned.

"Nice to meet you." Finn mumbled. The boys all shared an awkward smile.

"Well, guys, I'll be right back to finish the food in a second. I'm just going to change real quick. Finn, I'll bring you down a hoodie." Kurt gave Jeff a powdery kiss on the cheek and left the kitchen, not seeing (or possibly ignoring) the pleading looks on both boy's faces.

Jeff cleared his throat, then stepped past Finn to grab the cleaning wipes under the sink. Finn went back over to the bar stool (in the part of the room that wasn't dirty) and sat down.

"So how long have you been dating my brother?" He asked, sounding a lot like an overprotective father.

Jeff didn't skip a beat. "Since last Monday, I guess. That was our first date."

Finn nodded. "So a little over a week, huh?"

"Yup." Jeff was careful to keep his face smooth while he cleaned.

"You like him?"

"More than you know."

"You hurt him, you die."

"I wouldn't." Jeff's voice was strong.

"You might." Finn shrugged. "And then you wouldn't just have to deal with me, you'd deal with his dad. You don't want that."

"Understood." Jeff grabbed another wipe.

"Plus our glee club." Finn thought about Puck coming here and kicking Jeff's ass, and it made him smile. "Everyone there loves Kurt."

"I know."

"Just saying. Kurt's important to a lot of people. We don't like seeing him hurt, and we will hurt whoever makes him feel that way." Finn was really good at this big brother stuff, wasn't he? Granted, he was only older by a few months, but still. It mattered.

Jeff turned to face Finn, and couldn't help but laugh when he saw that he was still covered in flour. "Here, dude." He handed him a wet washcloth so he could clean himself up.

"Thanks." Finn started wiping the flour off his face.

"I understand, you know. And I really do like Kurt. I don't want to hurt him, I just want to make him happy." He smiled.

Finn set down the washcloth when he was done. "Good." They stared at each other for a while, until Kurt came back in. He was now dressed in his New York City shirt and black sweats, his hair wet and brushed back.

"Dude, did you take a shower?" Finn asked.

"No, just sprayed it down. I didn't want all that flour to sit there forever, it would _not_ keep my hair soft." He shuddered, and moved to his boyfriend. Jeff kissed him on the cheek. "Aw, thank you for cleaning up. I was going to do that."

"Anything for you." He smiled. Finn smiled too, knowing Kurt was obviously happy here. He didn't like that Kurt was so far away and barely ever came home, but if it meant he was safe and happy, then that's all that mattered.

"Kurt, seriously, you've got to start cooking. I've got to drive all the way back to Lima tonight and I'll need a full stomach for that." Finn patted his belly.

"Um, Finn, I don't think there's enough food in the entire school to fill your stomach." They all laughed, and Finn watched as Kurt and Jeff worked in tandem, making their food. Dalton was good for Kurt.

* * *

"No, Mia, everything's fine." Blaine was sitting in the Windsor common room, talking to his sister on the phone.

"Blainie, something's up. I can always hear it in your voice." She sighed. "Listen, I've got to go, Paul and I have dinner reservations at this great place here in LA. I love you, though, okay? And you better call me tomorrow and tell me what's going on. You don't sound too great, baby brother." Blaine fought back the tears that were threatening to spill again.

"I will. Give Paul my love. I'll talk you later." They said their goodbyes, then hung up. Blaine felt awful, lying to his sister; he never lied to her. She was the first person he came out to, and held his hand as he came out to his parents. She was his rock, and the one who suggested Dalton after the bullying at his old school got bad. He wanted to tell her what was going on, but he didn't want to think about it.

He had heard Finn knock on the door earlier, and watched David let him in. He watched him walk up the stairs, and had basically seen or heard everything in the kitchen, including the conversation Finn had with Jeff. Part of him wanted Finn to really threaten Jeff; scare him enough to back off from Kurt. Another part of him just wanted Finn to leave him alone, and let them be. Finn was good at the older brother part, Blaine had to give him that. Just enough threat with just enough support. It was hard for Blaine not to feel jealous that Finn wasn't saying those things to him, but he needed to get over that.

He was still sitting in the corner of the common room, tucked away from all the light and all the people in the building when Kurt came up to him. Finn had left a few minutes earlier (it was 8:15 and it was a two hour drive back to Lima) and Jeff had gone up to his room.

"Blaine." Kurt was quiet.

Blaine slowly turned to look at him. "Yes?" his voice was so quiet that Kurt could barely hear him, but he definitely heard the pain in it. Kurt almost wrapped his arms around him, but stopped himself.

"This Friday night. You and I, we're going to spend some time together. We need to talk. Okay?" Blaine looked confused. "No matter what, Blaine, you're my friend. If you hadn't been there for me when I needed you…" he shuddered. "Then I don't know what would have happened to me." Blaine felt sick when he thought of what _could_ have happened. "And now you need someone. I can be there for you, but first, we need to talk. Alright?"

Blaine nodded slowly. "Okay."

Kurt looked at him, and this time he didn't stop himself; he sat down next to him and pulled him into a warm hug. "It'll be okay." He whispered. He felt Blaine shake slightly, and knew that he was crying. "It'll be okay, I promise." He rubbed circles into Blaine's strong back, wanting nothing more than to make the pain go away.

* * *

Jeff stood at the top of the stairs and watched his boyfriend walk over to Blaine. He watched as Kurt said something to him, then, with a twist in his stomach, he watched as Kurt sat down next to him and hugged him. There was something about that hug: it was more than that. Kurt was rocking back and forth, and Blaine was almost _clutching_ him.

Jeff wanted so badly to run down the stairs and tear Kurt away from him, but he knew he couldn't. He turned away from the scene downstairs and walked to his room. Instead of fighting Blaine for Kurt's affections, he'd make Kurt fight for _his_. He'd make Kurt fight for him, and make him forget about Blaine.

* * *

**Oh, holy cow. I wrote this all today, and I really didn't think I'd finish it.**

**Next: Jeff discovers a secret, Blaine falls apart, and Kurt ends up more confused than ever. **


	6. The Fear

**Sorry this one took so long, but at over 12,000 words, you can understand why. I also had Parent/Teacher conferences (which sucked, btw) and I only had 2 students show. So, here it is. This is not a very happy fic, and as you might have seen, I've raised the rating to M, because it's becoming necessary.  
I know I say this every time, but thank you _soso_ much for every review (I read them all), every story alert, favorite author, _everything_. I really appreciate it.**

**Disclaimer: I _wish_ I owned Glee. And the Warblers. And New Directions. And Blaine's car. But I don't. :(**

**ps- for Nick's family, that's 29 pictures. Poor guy.**

**EDIT (2/28): I changed a bit at the end. Had to fix it to keep up with the continuity.**

**

* * *

**

_Attn All Warblers:_

_No rehearsal tonight, enjoy the last weekend before midterms._

_Wes_

Kurt read the message on his phone as he and David left their senior English Lit class. "Well that was nice of you guys."

David nodded. "Midterms here are almost as bad as finals, and we can go a day without rehearsal."

"Plus it means I can leave earlier to get home. I hate driving all that way just to get to Lima." They walked out of the main building and started toward Windsor. Kurt pulled his sunglasses out of the bag and perched them on his ears; they were the Donna Karan ones he got for his birthday the year before.

"You're going home this weekend?" David asked.

"Yeah, I haven't been home since before Regionals, and I need to see everyone. Besides, it's Friday night, and that's when we have our family dinners." Kurt explained. "What about you? Going home?"

"Nah, my parents are on a cruise, so it's not like anyone would be home anyway. Might as well just stay here and study." He shrugged, then held open the door to Windsor. Kurt stepped inside and slid off his glasses.

"That must suck."

"I'm used to it. I'm their only child, and I've been in boarding school all of my life. Hell, my classmates are more like family than my own parents." David's voice was light, but Kurt felt bad for him. True, he had lost his mother at a young age, but he still had his dad, plus Carole and Finn.

"Well, I better go start packing. I have to change out my weekend wardrobe." Kurt smiled, then the two boys parted ways. He was thinking about how lucky he was to have the family he had when he got to his room and saw that the door was open.

"No! No, no, no, no, NO!" Nick was on the phone and pacing around the room. Kurt stepped in slowly, and shut the door behind him. "I'm not doing it. You really can't make me." He paused, and Kurt heard a woman's voice on the other end.

Kurt sidestepped his pacing roommate and got to his bed, where he dropped his bag.

"Mom, no! Please, just listen to me! I really don't-" he sat down when he was interrupted. "Fine. Whatever. Bye." Nick grumbled and ended the call.

"Everything okay?" Kurt asked as he hung up his coat.

"Ugh." Nick groaned. "My brothers are all coming into town this weekend, so my mom wants to do family pictures."

Kurt started going through his drawers, pulling out clothes he wanted to take home and change out. "That doesn't sound so bad. It's just a family picture."

"Oh, no, man. You don't understand. My mom makes a _huge_ deal out of it. First we have to go shopping, so we can all get matching clothes. Then we have to get our hair cut so we look 'nice and neat'. Then we spend the entire picture day getting our pictures taken; first as a family, then just the kids, then the parents, then each parent with each kid, then both parents with each kid, and then everyone gets an individual picture." Nick rolled his eyes.

"Okay, now I can see why you wouldn't want to. That must suck." Kurt was grateful that they just went to Wal-Mart and took a few pictures.

"You have no idea. I have 5 brothers." Kurt felt bad for his roommate. "So, what are you doing this weekend?" he asked.

"I'm going home tonight, but tomorrow is New Directions day. I'm going shopping with the girls, then we're having a karaoke party at Rachel's house. Her dads are there, so nothing too crazy, but it'll be nice to see them. Sunday is our family day, and I think my dad and Carole want to start planning a summer vacation." He pulled his red suitcase out from under his bed and started packing his clothes.

Nick sighed. "Well, I've got to head out. My bag's already in my car, I packed it at lunch. I'll see you Sunday." he grabbed his keys from his nightstand, gave Kurt a quick hug, and left. Kurt turned on his iPod and cranked it up, letting the soothing sounds of Enya fill the room as he finished packing.

* * *

_when do you want to talk? – b_

_soon, I've got to head home in a few. – k_

_your room or mine? Or somewhere else? – b_

_you can come to my room, nick already left. – k_

_what time? – b_

_now's good. – k_

Blaine put his phone back in his pocket and stood in front of the mirror. He thought he looked okay, but he knew Kurt wouldn't think so. He had dark under-eye circles, his skin looked more pale than usual, and he couldn't get his hair styled right, so he had left it alone. He had already changed from his uniform into a pair of old jeans, sneakers, a black Muse t-shirt from the Black Holes & Revelations tour, and a black cardigan. His hot pink sunglasses (he bought them at the GAP, along with those argyle socks) were perched on top of his head, his keys were in his pocket, and his packed duffel bag was sitting on his bed. He was ready to go home for the weekend and see his parents and little brother; he missed them. He made sure the door was locked, then picked up his bag and left his room. This talk with Kurt was already twisting his stomach into knots, and he knew he'd probably want to leave as soon as it was over.

* * *

Kurt was almost done packing up his toiletries when he heard the knock at the door. "Come in!" he yelled.

"Kurt? Where are you?" Blaine's familiar voice called.

He put his Philosophy moisturizer in the bag and walked out of the bathroom. "I was in there, finishing up my packing." He smiled, and set the now full bag next to his suitcase, then sat down. Blaine let his duffel drop to the floor, then sat across from Kurt on Nick's bed. "So you ready to go home for the weekend?" He asked.

Blaine nodded. "Yeah, I haven't seen my family in a while; it'll be nice to have some time with them. Too bad this isn't a three-day weekend."

"I wish." Kurt laughed.

"So what time do you need to head out?" Blaine asked. He was nervous, and he wanted to get this over with. Why on earth had he agreed to talk to Kurt anyway?

"Uh, pretty soon, probably. Friday night dinner and everything." He paused. "Blaine, if you don't want to talk about this, we don't have to."

"Well, I don't really want to, but I know we need to."

"Right." Kurt looked thoughtful. "Well, I guess I'll start. Blaine, you seem like a shell."

Wow. That was to the point. Blaine blinked a few times, then answered. "I, um…"

"Hold on." Kurt lifted a finger to stop Blaine from trying to continue. "I know that our fight and whatever happened Saturday isn't helping, but I don't think that's it. You've been walking around all week like a zombie, and you haven't even asked to audition for any solos with the Warblers. That's not like you." Blaine wondered just how much attention Kurt paid to him. "Like I said, I know that whatever's going on between us isn't helping, but you've really got me worried here, Blaine. You need to open up a little bit, tell me what's going on."

Blaine pulled his glasses off of his head, and started spinning them around. He needed to think for a second; he had to think about what he was going to say to Kurt.

"You're right." He said quietly. Kurt just looked at him, his eyes kind. "About everything. About the fight, about… being a shell." This was going to be harder than he expected. "Kurt, what I told you before, about never being anyone's boyfriend…"

Kurt's eyes widened; had Blaine lied to him?

"That's part of this. I mean, I know I'm young and everything, but it's just really hard to watch everybody I know get into relationships and have someone who's there for them like that. I've watched every single one of my friends find someone, and it gets harder and harder to believe that it'll happen to me, too."

"Blaine, we're in high school. At this point, we're lucky to have friends, let alone significant others." Kurt said softly.

"I know that, Kurt. I do. But after everything with Jeremiah, and then everything with you, I feel like an idiot." He sighed. "I put myself out there for Jeremiah, and he didn't even like me like that. And then you go and have the courage to tell me that you had feelings for me, and rather than give you a chance, I ran away." He put the glasses on the bed next to him, and ran his hands through his hair.

"Blaine, you didn't run away. You said it yourself, you didn't want to screw this friendship up." Kurt's voice was quiet, but firm.

"But I did. I mean, look at us. We're not even texting each other anymore. We barely talk, and it's all because I'm an asshole." Kurt opened his mouth to say something, but shut it when Blaine kept talking. "I honestly didn't know if I had feelings for you or not, not when you first told me. But instead of sitting down and really thinking about whether or not I_ could_ have feelings, I just tried to keep acting like your friend. To say that backfired on me is an understatement." He let out a dark laugh. "And I was really bad at trying to be your friend, too. I should have been happy for you when you told me about Jeff. I shouldn't have been jealous."

"It's normal to be jealous, Blaine." Kurt tried to reassure him. There had been plenty of times when Kurt had been taken over by the little green monster.

"Not like that, Kurt. Not like that." He looked up at the boy across from him, his face contorted into a grimace. "I was so _jealous_ of him. I didn't even realize it at first, but I was. I wanted nothing more than to rip him off of you the first time I saw him kiss you." Kurt looked surprised. "And Saturday afternoon… God, Kurt, I'm _so_ sorry about that. I had to leave, otherwise I would have kissed you, and I couldn't force myself on you like that. Not after what Karofsky did."

"You are _nothing_ like Karofsky, Blaine. Nothing! Do you understand me?" Kurt's voice was louder than Blaine thought it would be. "He's a scared, closeted little boy who hides behind violence. You would _never_ do that."

"Kurt…" Blaine sighed.

"No. Listen to me, Blaine. You are absolutely _nothing_ like him. You don't hurt people, you don't deny your sexuality and blame it on others, and you've never threatened anyone's life." Kurt got up from his bed and moved to sit next to his friend. "Look at me." he shook his head. "Blaine. Please, just look at me."

Blaine slowly turned, and was surprised at how close Kurt was sitting. "What?" his voice was a whisper.

"I know you're going through something right now, and I'm not even going to pretend that I fully get it. But I understand the jealousy. I understand the impulses. I even understand the anger." He took a deep breath. "I know this probably isn't the right thing to say, but I'm going to say it anyway: Blaine, I think you needed this. I think you needed some sort of wake-up call. You've been living in your Dalton bubble so long that you've forgotten what life is like on the outside. Everything here is so cut and dry, black and white, and life is _nothing_ like that. If this was just about your feelings for me, you'd be able to hide it and lock it away like you do everything else. I think this has more to do with _you_ than you'd like to admit." Kurt put his arm around Blaine's shoulders. "You went from pretending to be this happy, single gay guy to having a big crush on someone who barely gave you the time of day. You embarrassed the hell out of yourself when you told him how you felt via song, and then you didn't even stop to think about the possibility of having feelings for me when I told you I liked you. When you finally _did_ think about those feelings, it wasn't until Jeff and I started seeing each other. All this? All these things you do? Blaine, they're all just different ways of running away."

"Apparently it's what I'm good at." Blaine sighed. "I told you before, Kurt. I ran away from my old high school, and I came here."

"You've got to stop running, Blaine. That's the thing, when you run. Whatever's chasing you usually catches up, or wears you out. I've got to be honest with you; you're starting to scare me."

"What?" Blaine was confused.

"You're so cut off from everything right now. I don't think it's just me and Jeff dating that's doing this to you. I think it's everything that you've been running from is catching up to you, and you need to face it."

"I don't know if I can, Kurt." Blaine admitted. "I've been running for so damn long, I don't know if I can face anything anymore."

"I think you can. I think you just need to man up and do it." He laughed a little. "Have some courage."

Blaine smiled a small smile. "That's my line."

"Yeah, well, it's _my_ turn to be the mentor here." Kurt pulled Blaine into a hug, happy to see him smile. "I'll be in Lima all weekend, but if you need anything, call me. Text me. Email me. Whatever, you just let me know, okay?" he felt Blaine nod against his shoulder, and he hugged him a little bit tighter before he let go.

"Thank you, Kurt." Blaine said.

"You're welcome. Now get out of here, I've got a two hour drive ahead of me and your curly head's distracting me." He laughed.

"Well, then, sir, I'll walk you to your car. Blaine put his glasses back on his head and picked up the red suitcase from Kurt's bed. Kurt grabbed his toiletry bag (which was almost as big as his suitcase), his Donna Karan glasses, and his car keys, and followed Blaine out the door, locking it behind him.

"I'm serious, though, Blaine. If you need to talk, just call me, and I can listen. Just because we can't be together right now doesn't mean that we can't still be friends, that we can't still talk." Kurt wanted to make sure he understood.

"I know, Kurt. Thanks." He smiled as they reached the Windsor doors, and walked out to the parking lot. They walked in silence until they came to Kurt's large Navigator, and Kurt opened the back door. Blaine tossed in the suitcase, and Kurt set the other bag next to it.

"Okay, then. I'm going to head out. Thanks for opening up to me today, Blaine. I know you didn't tell me everything, and I know that there's more bothering you, but today was a start." He hugged Blaine one more time, then opened his driver's side door.

"Text me when you get home, I want to know that you got there safe. It's nice out here today, but I know there's still snow on the highway to Lima."

Kurt smiled and promised to tell him when he got home, then watched as Blaine walked to the other side of the parking lot to get to his own car, a blue 2009 Hyundai Elantra. He knew that Blaine was still hiding something, he just wasn't sure what. He could only hope that Blaine would eventually feel comfortable enough to tell him what else was going on. He really hoped it wasn't anything to do with him and Jeff, because as awkward as that made their friendship, it wasn't going to go away. He really liked Jeff, and Blaine couldn't change that.

* * *

"_Just because we can't be together right now doesn't mean that we can't still be friends, that we can't still talk."_

Blaine kept running that sentence through his head as he drove the 45 minutes home to his family in Newark. Maybe it was foolish of him to focus just on that bit, that "can't be together **right now**" part, and yeah, Kurt probably hadn't meant to say it like that, but he couldn't _not_ think about it. Maybe he still had a shot…

* * *

Jeff was in a hotel room in New York when he got a text from Brian.

_Blaine and Kurt just left Kurt's room – bri_

Wow. That must have been a short talk. He texted him back while his mother called down for reservations at the hotel restaurant.

_You hear anything they said? – jeff_

He felt a little bad, sending a friend to spy on his boyfriend. It wasn't that he didn't trust Kurt, he did; he just didn't trust Blaine.

_Nah, they were too quiet. They're both leaving now, though. – bri_

Jeff hoped that nothing had happened. He was already upset that his parents made him travel that weekend, and getting pissed about Blaine would only make it worse.

_How are they acting? – jeff_

He waited.

_Well, they just hugged, and now they're both driving out of the lot. – bri_

Jeff knew it was probably nothing. After all, friends hugged each other all the time. Friends who had/have feelings for each other, though… That was different.

_Ugh. – jeff_

_Dude, it's nothing. They're friends, remember? They were friends before he met you, and nothing happened. Don't worry, you're good. Kurt's only got eyes for you. – bri_

He really hoped so.

* * *

"Oomph!" Kurt was pulled into his dad's arms as soon as he walked in the door. Burt didn't say anything, he just held his son for a little while. Kurt knew that he'd never say it, but it was hard for Burt to not have his son there during the week.

"Kurt, honey, we're so happy you're home." Carole got Burt to let go of him, and then she gave him a soft hug. "We've missed you."

Kurt smiled. "I miss you guys, too. So much. I mean, Dalton's great, it's just not home, you know?" he looked down at the bags on the floor. "I'm gonna bring these up to my room and change out of my uniform, I'll be back down in a bit."

"Alright, sweetheart. Finn and Rachel went out to go get dinner, they'll be back in a few. You go get comfortable." Carole patted his head, and Kurt fought the urge to fix whatever she had done to his hair. It still felt a little strange, having a mother-figure in his life again, but he loved her. He picked up his bags and went upstairs to his new room (it wasn't as big as his old basement, but it was nice) to change.

When he went back downstairs 10 minutes later, he was out of his Dalton uniform and wearing his favorite black skinny jeans, a white and red striped Nautica sweater, and his knee-high Doc Martens. He loved weekends.

"Kurt!" he heard a screech, and then a short girl with a loud mouth had her arms wrapped around him. He hugged Rachel back.

"Rachel! How are you?" A Rachel Berry hug was tight, but nothing like his dad's or Finn's; he could still breathe.

She let go and took a few steps back. "I'm fabulous. Amazing, even! We're getting ready for Nationals, and they're giving me a solo, and we're-" she stopped when she remembered that he was a member of the team they beat. "I'm good, Kurt. How are you?" she was a little quieter.

"I'm doing pretty good, I guess. I mean, school's getting kind of tough, and we have midterms next week. I'm _so_ not looking forward to them, but as long as they're not as bad as the finals were, I should be okay." They walked into the large dining room, where Finn and their parents were setting up at least 15 boxes of Chinese food.

"Well, if you need any help studying this weekend, I can help you. I've been doing peer tutoring at McKinley, and it's been going really well. I think I'm a good tutor, because I've noticed that the people I help are-"

"Rachel, let Kurt get some food, babe." Finn said sweetly, interrupting his over-excited girlfriend.

"Thank you!" Kurt mouthed as he moved toward the piles of food.

A few minutes later, everyone was sitting down, eating and talking. Finn was telling them all some story about his last basketball game, with Rachel looking on adoringly. Carole and Burt kept smiling at each other, barely paying attention to anyone else. Kurt was happy to be home, but he wanted someone else there, someone for him.

* * *

_Good morning, sunshine. – k_

Kurt sent Jeff a message as soon as he woke up. He knew his boyfriend was busy, but he still wanted to talk to him.

_Hey – jeff_

_How was the drive home? – k_

_Fine – jeff_

_So I was thinking that we should go out for dinner Monday after rehearsal, my treat. What do you think? – k_

_I'll think about it. Sorry, gotta go. – jeff_

Kurt looked at the message from Jeff, confused. Was he in a bad mood or something?

_Okay, babe. I'll talk to you later. :) – k_

He pressed send, then put the phone down. It _was_ a little early in the morning, maybe Jeff was just tired.

* * *

_Good morning, sunshine. – k_

Jeff looked at the message from Kurt. He really wanted to say something sweet back to him, but he was still kind of hurt about Kurt and Blaine's talk. Granted, he had no idea what they had talked about, and he wouldn't dare ask Kurt, since he wasn't supposed to know about it. He really wanted to be able to trust Kurt, but talking to his former crush and not telling his current boyfriend about it was not exactly the sort of behavior that invoked trust. They shot back a few messages, then Jeff put his phone away and started thinking of ways to get Kurt to pay more attention to him.

* * *

"Oh, my god. This was so much fun!" Kurt sighed happily as he, Mercedes, Rachel, Tina, Quinn, Santana and Brittany piled into his Navigator. Puck and Lauren were in her Impala, and Finn, Mike, Sam and Artie were in the truck Mike had borrowed from his dad. They had just gotten done with bowling (even though Kurt hated the borrowed shoes, it had been a good time) and were about to head over to Rachel's for a karaoke night.

Most of Kurt's day had been spent with the girls; they all went to breakfast that morning, then went shopping for the rest of the afternoon, until meeting up with the boys for bowling and dinner. As much as he loved Dalton, he really missed hanging out with his McKinley friends.

"Okay, Kurt, you need to tell us about this blonde boy." Quinn piped up from behind him as he started the engine.

"Oooh, he's blushing!" Mercedes laughed.

"Hush." Kurt was indeed blushing. "I'll tell you guys if you promise not to squeal and freak out."

"We won't." Tina promised.

"Just tell us, Kurt! We wanna know everything." Rachel said.

"Start talking, Hummel. Also, I'm gonna need a picture to see if he's hot."

"I'll show you a picture once we get to Rachel's, Santana." He smiled, then started gushing about his boyfriend.

* * *

_Hey, babe. I just got back from Rachel's, it was so much fun. Would have been more fun with you there, though. – k_

Kurt was laying in his bed, wrapped up in his white comforter. Rachel's karaoke party _was_ fun, but he felt a little left out. They had shared jokes that he wasn't in on, made references to things he didn't know about. He knew he shouldn't take it personally, and he really didn't, but it was hard to see how much of an outsider he'd become. While he waited for a reply, he started playing Angry Birds.

When Burt came in to wake Kurt up the next morning, a picture of odd-shaped birds and green pigs was the only thing on his phone. Jeff had never messaged him back.

* * *

"I am horrified." Kurt was back in his room, on the phone with Mercedes. He had to leave to go back to Dalton soon, so he was trying to finish packing.

"What happened?" she asked lazily.

"My dad tried to give me 'the talk'." He rolled his eyes and tried to decide between a chartreuse McQueen sweater and a gray one. He put both in the suitcase.

"Seriously?" he heard her laugh.

"Seriously."

"Oh, wow. So how did that go?"

"Awkward as hell." He shuddered.

"What made him do it?" she asked.

"Finn."

"Finn? How?"

"He told Carole about Jeff, and she told Dad. Then Dad kind of freaked out and sat me down and gave me 'the talk'. I'll tell you, though, he did his research." He would never be able to forget the awkwardness that was his dad talking about gay sex.

"That must have been weird."

"You have no idea." Kurt told Mercedes about the family day they had: a late brunch, a trip to Home Depot to get supplies to work on the garage, the most amazing home-cooked meal (chili that had cooked all day in the crock pot), and the awful 'talk' with his dad.

Kurt knew that his dad was concerned, especially since he knew what teenage boys were like. Not only did Burt feel like he had to worry about his son's hormones, he also had to worry about his son's _boyfriend's_ hormones. It was too much for one person to think about.

Burt had been prepared with multiple pamphlets (Kurt thought Mrs. Pillsbury-Howell might have supplied them), and most embarrassingly, condoms. His dad had awkwardly handed them over, and as his face burned a deeper red than he thought possible, he stuffed them in his pocket.

"Mercedes, he gave me condoms. Condoms!" he hissed. "Ugh, I'm just glad it's over."

* * *

Three hours after he had gotten off the phone with Mercedes, and two hours after sad goodbyes from his family, Kurt pulled into the Windsor parking lot. He smiled when he saw that Blaine's car was already there, but couldn't find Jeff's Camaro. It wasn't until he got back to his room and talked to Nick that he found out Jeff wasn't going to be back until Monday morning.

"He didn't tell you?" Nick asked.

Kurt kept putting away his clothes. "No, he didn't. He actually hasn't talked to me since yesterday morning." He had been trying not to think about the lack of communication between them that weekend, but it was bothering him.

"Huh. Well, his parents took him to New York on Friday, and their plane won't be getting in until late tonight, so he's driving in tomorrow." Nick explained.

"Oh." Kurt was quiet. So Jeff could tell Nick what was going on, but he couldn't even send one simple message to his boyfriend to tell him?

Nick got his calculus notes out of his backpack and started going over them. "He should be here before first hour tomorrow. You'll see him then."

Kurt smiled, and finished unpacking. Why hadn't Jeff talked to him that weekend? Why didn't he tell him about his trip? He wondered if something was going on, and resolved to ask him about it tomorrow.

* * *

Kurt was seething, and Blaine knew why. They were in Warbler's Hall for the first rehearsal of the week, and Jeff was standing on the other side of the room, talking to Anthony Holmes. Tony was a sophomore with tan skin, and dark black hair. He was a nice enough guy, and yes, he was gay. Kurt was sitting on one of the sofas, trying not to launch himself at the boy and pull his boyfriend to his side when Blaine came over and stood in front of him.

"Move, Blaine." He said, trying to look around Blaine's solid frame.

"Nope." He stood his ground.

"Move! I want to see-"

"Want to see your boyfriend try to make you jealous?" Blaine asked.

"What do you mean?"

"He's just trying to make you jealous. He knows I came over and talked to you Friday after school, and he's trying to make you jealous. I think he thinks something happened."

"How would he know you came over? I didn't tell him." Kurt was confused. "And how do you know that he knows? Did you tell him?" What the hell was going on?

"I didn't say anything to him. I just overheard him talking to Brian Porter in the hall before we came in. Apparently Brian was keeping an eye on you while Jeff was gone." He lowered his voice. "He thinks something might happen between us."

Kurt didn't say anything; he just sighed and folded his arms.

"Maybe you should talk to him. Figure out what exactly his deal is." Blaine suggested.

"Hmm."

"Okay, guys, we'll see you tomorrow. Remember, you need to work on your harmonizing for Hot and Cold, we didn't do that well on it today." Wes didn't know what was going on with the Warblers today, but they were all a little off.

"I'll talk to you later, Kurt. Go talk to your boyfriend." Blaine said goodbye, and left with his roommate.

Kurt got to his feet, and watched as Tony and Jeff made their way to the door. He followed them out, and overheard Jeff telling him that he really liked his haircut.

"I like it long like that. It really shows off your eyes." Jeff smiled at the younger boy.

"Yeah?" Tony blushed a little.

"Yeah. It makes the green flecks in them really stand out." Kurt followed them silently, fighting the urge to jump between the two and start yelling.

Tony smiled, then sighed. "Well, I've got to go, my mom's waiting to pick me up outside. Sometimes I'm really jealous of you boarders."

"Well maybe you'll have to see if she'll let you stay later sometime. We have fun here." Jeff's voice was low, and Kurt could tell that he was laying it on thick. He rolled his eyes, and waited for Tony to leave.

"You know that leading someone on isn't very nice." Kurt caught up to Jeff and walked with him.

"Yeah, well, neither is talking to someone who likes you and not telling your boyfriend." Jeff didn't hide the anger in his voice, but still held the door open for Kurt.

"Thank you." Kurt walked into the chilly air and waited for Jeff before he started walking to Windsor.

"You're welcome." Jeff walked at the same pace as Kurt, but didn't take his hand like he normally did.

"What's wrong with you?" Kurt asked quietly.

"Nothing." Jeff's voice was even.

"Bullshit." Kurt looked at him. "You ignored my texts this weekend, and then you flirted with Tony right in front of me. Obviously something's wrong." Kurt didn't raise his voice once, and he actually sounded quite calm.

Jeff paused. "Why didn't you tell me that you and Blaine were going to have a private talk on Friday?"

"Key word there is 'private', Jeff. He needed a friend, and since I know more about what's going on with him than anyone else, I was that friend." Jeff snorted. "_Friend_. Okay, just his friend. You're my boyfriend, not Blaine. I'm with you, not him."

"Is there something going on with you two?" Jeff asked. He was afraid of the answer.

"Like I said, Jeff, we're just friends. So no, nothing romantic is going on between us. But I don't want to stop spending time with him."

"What if I asked you to?"

"Don't. I really don't want you to make me choose between you guys. Because I don't know if I could. Jeff, Blaine was there for me when everything got really bad at my old school. He was the only person who was. You can't expect me to start blowing him off now that we're dating." They had reached Windsor.

"So where does this leave us?" They were standing outside, not ready to go in yet.

"I still want to be with you. I mean, I _really_ want to be with you. But I don't want to sacrifice my friendship with Blaine. If you can deal with me being friends with him, then we'll be okay."

"… Okay." Jeff whispered.

"Are you sure?" Kurt moved closer to him and held his hands.

"As long as you're still with me, yeah." Jeff looked at Kurt, and saw him smile.

"Of course I am, dummy. You really think I'd pick Blaine over you?"

Jeff lied. "Nope."

Kurt smiled, and leaned in to kiss him.

"Good. Now go inside, we've got studying to do."

"Don't remind me." Jeff groaned, and Kurt opened the door.

"Come on. I'll help you with your English." Jeff let himself be dragged inside. He really wanted to believe that there was nothing between his boyfriend and Blaine, but only time would tell.

* * *

"Eh, today wasn't too bad. At least we're more than halfway over with midterms." Blaine was relaxing on his bed after a particularly interesting day. His practical midterm for chemistry was today, and while he did fine, another boy in his class had caught his tie on fire.

"True. So how is everybody at home?" his sister asked. She and her husband had just gotten back from their honeymoon to their new home in Fort Wayne.

"They're good. James got into a fight Friday at school, though. Has a black eye." It wasn't a bad one, but it still looked like it hurt.

"What happened? He's so quiet and shy, did he get beat up?" Mia sounded worried.

"Well, no. He got into a fight with a kid at school."

"Blaine, he's 10. Who gets into fights at 10?"

"You did." Mia had been a troublemaker, and Blaine liked to rub it in.

"Hey, that girl pulled my hair. She deserved what she got."

"Mhmm, sure. I believe you."

"No you don't. Now tell me what happened with Jamie."

Blaine sighed. "Apparently some kids at school were saying that he had a fag for a brother." He heard Mia's gasp. "Mom said that this had been going on for a while, the teasing about me. It sounds like he just got sick of it and punched the kid who said it this time, and it escalated."

"And where the hell have the people from the school been? The teachers, principal? The damn lunch ladies?" Mia remembered how bad it had been for Blaine, and didn't want that happening to James.

"No idea. I guess Mom and Dad have been to the principal's office a few times to talk about it, but the principal keeps saying that it's Jamie's word against everyone else's, and all the other kids are keeping quiet."

"You know this isn't your fault, right?" Mia always knew when Blaine was blaming himself.

"Not directly, but-"

"Not at _all_." She interrupted him.

"Mia-"

"Blaine, stop trying to make every bad thing that happens your fault. It's not your fault at all, not one bit. You seriously need to remember that shit happens everywhere, and you can't always make it better." He heard her sigh. "Blaine, the world is a crappy place. And bad things happen. Blaming yourself isn't going to make anything better."

"I know, Mia. I know. I just feel like I've caused enough problems for the family, and now I'm causing more."

"You're really not hearing me, are you? So you're gay. Big deal. Guess what? Jamie's been made fun of for other things before, not just that his brother likes dick." Blaine snorted with laughter. "His glasses are a big part of why he gets made fun of. Why he was the only one who got Dad's vision, I'll never know, but between the hair that's worse than yours and the big glasses and even bigger ears, he's never had a chance. He's gonna get made fun of, that's just the way it is."

"I guess you're right."

"You _know_ I'm right. And eventually, one day, he'll grow into a hot little genius stud like his brother and make everyone eat their words." He heard a smile in her voice.

"Yeah, I am sort of awesome." He grinned.

"Not as awesome as me." Mia laughed. "Well, maybe you _feel_ more awesome than me."

"What's going on? You okay?"

"It's probably not what we _think_ it is, but I've been a little sick lately."

"Flu?" Blaine asked.

"Well, not really. Yeah, I've got the nausea and the headaches and dizziness, but there's more than just that." Mia went quiet.

"More like what? Mia, you're kind of freaking me out." Blaine's sister had been sick a lot when they were younger; always getting the flu, strep throat, earaches. She was 8 years older than him, but he had always helped take care of her when she got sick.

"Well, don't get excited or anything, because we haven't done a test yet, but-"

"Excited? Why would I be excited for you to be sick?" Blaine interrupted.

"Blaine." She had a warning in her voice. "We think I might be pregnant."

"Mia!" Blaine sat up. "That would be so _awesome_! A little niece or nephew, or both! Twins!" Blaine would never admit it to his friends, but he really loved babies. He really wanted to be a dad one day.

"Oh, wow, Blaine." Mia laughed. "We don't really know yet. I don't trust those home pregnancy tests, but I've got an appointment set up for the 28th."

"Mia, that would be so… Wow. Have you told Mom and Dad yet?" he asked, a big stupid grin on his face. Mia had always wanted to be a mom, and after marrying her boyfriend of 7 years, a baby would really make her happy.

"No, we haven't told them, or Paul's parents. We don't really want to say anything to his parents, because they think our marriage was a mistake anyway. I'm gonna call Mom here in a few and tell her, but you know how she is. She's worse than you, she'll totally freak out if she thinks I'm going to have a baby." That was true; their mother loved everything about babies. "But I've got to go, Blaine. Paul needs a ride to work since his car's in the shop. Love you!"

"Love you, too. You call me when you find out if you're pregnant, okay?"

"Duh. Bye!" Mia's voice sounded bright as she hung up. Blaine was so excited that he couldn't focus on the notes he was supposed to be studying, and instead sent Kurt a text message telling him he might be an uncle soon.

* * *

_Friday night and the lights are low_

_Looking out for a place to go_

_Where they play the right music_

_Getting in the swing_

_You come in to look for a king…_

Kurt was singing along quietly to the ABBA song while he was fixing his hair. Midterms were now officially over, and most of the boys at Dalton were planning on celebrating that Friday night. He and Jeff had decided to see the new Liam Neeson movie that had come out a little while ago, and since Eric had already left for the weekend, they were both going to stay overnight in Jeff's room. Burt hadn't been too pleased that his son wasn't going to be home that night, but Kurt was good at getting his dad to let him do what he wanted.

_Ugh, I hate being one of the only ones staying during the weekends. – b_

Blaine's parents and brother were gone again, this time to some doctor's convention his dad had to go to. Blaine didn't like spending a lot of time dressed up and pretending to enjoy being surrounded by adults who were full of themselves, so he had decided to stay at school.

_Just think, you'll have peace and quiet! I have to deal with Finn and Rachel. – k_

_True, true. I would never want to switch with you. ;) – b_

_:P I've got to go, Jeff will be here in a bit. I'll tell you about the movie later. See ya! – k_

_Have fun :) – b_

Kurt smiled; it seemed like Blaine had been doing better that week. And with the news that he might be an uncle, he was smiling a lot more. A couple knocks sounded at the door, and before he answered it, Kurt stood back to admire himself. He was wearing purple skinny jeans, the knee-high Docs, and tight white v-neck sweater with a purple feathered brooch pinned over his heart.

"Wow." Jeff's eyes were wide when Kurt let him in.

"Is this alright?" Kurt was a little nervous; the shirt was new, and it was a little tighter than he was used to.

"This is _more_ than alright. Holy… Wow." Jeff couldn't take his eyes off of Kurt; the way the sweater stretched across his chest, the way it accentuated the slight muscles on his arms… Jeff didn't realize Kurt could be so damn hot.

Kurt blushed, then pulled his coat on and took Jeff's hand. "Let's go, we'll miss the movie."

Jeff was really hoping that the movie wouldn't have any sex scenes, because his hormone levels were already through the roof.

* * *

"The coat, Jeff, the fuc-" Kurt was silenced by Jeff's lips on his own. They had somehow managed to get from the movie theater to Jeff's car, to Dalton, to Jeff's dorm, and he had no idea how. They had barely even watched the movie, and had instead spent most of the time (they left 45 minutes into it) making out heavily in the back row.

"Jeff, this coat is a $400 Marc Jacobs. You want to replace it?" Kurt had managed to pull away from his eager boyfriend to speak. Jeff shook his head wordlessly, then stared as Kurt took his coat off and gently hung it on the coat rack; Jeff just let his drop to the floor.

"Come here." Jeff pulled Kurt back into his arms. "Do you realize how badly I want you right now?" he whispered in Kurt's ear.

Kurt smiled into Jeff's neck. "About as bad as I want you?" he felt a little dizzy, no doubt that the kissing was getting to him.

Jeff cupped his chin, and kissed him hard. "Show me." His voice was thick with desire for his brown-haired boyfriend. Kurt took the initiative and walked Jeff backward until the back of his legs touched the bed, and then pushed him down.

"You really want me to show you?" Kurt said. He wasn't sure what was going to happen, but he really wanted _something_ to happen.

Jeff nodded wordlessly.

Kurt stood in front of Jeff, grateful for the lack of lighting in the room; he didn't want Jeff to see how red is face was. He took a deep, shaky breath, then grabbed the hem of his sweater and pulled it up slowly. Once it was off, he let it fall. He ran his fingers through his hair, and looked back down at Jeff; his eyes were roaming up and down Kurt's naked chest shamelessly, obviously enjoying the view.

"Your turn." Kurt was surprised at how low his voice sounded. He moved closer to Jeff, and started unbuttoning his shirt. He only fumbled a few times, but he was rewarded by the sight of Jeff's tan skin when he was done. Jeff shook the shirt off of his shoulders and let it join Kurt's on the floor, then took his hand and pulled him onto the bed with him. Kurt gasped at the skin-on-skin contact of their chests brushing against one another, and leaned down on the boy below him to start kissing his jaw. Jeff's hands moved to the front of Kurt's purple jeans, and paused when he touched the cold button at the top.

"Please?" Jeff's voice was almost a whimper, and in that moment, Kurt probably would have let him do anything. He didn't answer with words, he just rolled his hips toward him until Jeff undid the button and pulled down the zipper. When Jeff moved his hands to his hips, Kurt tried to hide his disappointment, but Jeff only gripped the waistband of his jeans, and pulled down. Kurt kicked off his shoes to make it easier to get his pants off (a difficult enough task when they looked like they'd been painted on), and then sat down on the bed next to Jeff. They were both silent; the only sound in the room was their breathing, and Jeff undid his own jeans, letting them drop to the floor next to the shoes he had slipped off.

The boys didn't say anything as they moved on the bed; Kurt ended up laying on his back, with Jeff on top of him, supporting himself on his lean arms on either side of Kurt's shoulders. Kurt wrapped his arms around Jeff's back, one hand resting on the waistband of his boxers. He didn't know what to expect when he gently pushed, but Jeff let his hips drop down, and Kurt shuddered at the contact. This was like nothing he had ever felt or done before, and it was a little intense. Feeling Jeff's hardness against his own was something he never really wanted to end, but the way Jeff was moving, he was afraid it would be over too soon.  
"W-wait, baby, just wait a second." Kurt needed Jeff to stop.

"Everything okay?" Jeff was breathing hard.

"Just, just hold on a second." Kurt went to move, but couldn't; Jeff was still on top of him, their hips pressed together.

"Oh, sorry." Jeff mumbled when he realized what Kurt was trying to do. He got moved to Kurt's side, and laid down next to him. "What's wrong?" he asked.

Kurt took a second to answer. "Nothing, really. I mean, this is just… Wow." He blushed. "I've never done anything like this before."

Jeff smiled, and laid down with Kurt, spooning him. Kurt tried to pretend he couldn't feel Jeff's hard-on against the back of his thigh.

"Don't worry about it. We won't do anything you don't want to." He kissed the top of Kurt's shoulder.

"That's the problem, though, Jeff. I want to do… this. I want to do _more_ than this. I just don't know if I'm ready."

"I understand, trust me." He laughed, and pulled Kurt closer.

"Could you, um, not do that?" Kurt asked.

"Not do what?"

"Uh, move… like that." Every time Jeff pulled him closer or moved his hips, Kurt found it harder and harder (oh jeez) to stop from turning around and doing things he really shouldn't be doing.

"… Sorry." Jeff sighed.

Kurt removed himself from Jeff's arms, then turned around to face him. He put his head on the pillow Jeff was using, and kissed him lightly. "Like I said, I _want_ to do this. I want to feel you, I want to make you feel good." His breath hitched a little when Jeff started running his hands lightly over Kurt's chest. "And eventually, I will. But right now, we shouldn't. We haven't been together for even a whole month, and while yes, I understand that we're teenage boys with hormones and desires and fantasies and urges-" he was cut off by a kiss. When they broke apart to breathe, Kurt had a dumb look on his face.

"Continue." Jeff smiled.

"Um. Yeah. Urges. You're not helping here, you know?" Kurt tried to scold his boyfriend, but he got distracted by his Adam's apple when he started talking.

"Kurt, I don't want to push you. I really don't. But if you start something, I'm not going to tell you 'no'. You have to make that decision on your own. I'll respect it, of course. I don't want to do anything that you're not ready for. If you tell me you want something, though, I'm not going turn you down. I know I want to be with you, and I mean that in every way." He was staring into Kurt's grey/blue eyes now, illuminated by the sliver of moonlight coming in through the window.

Kurt smiled a little, then kissed Jeff; a slow, easy kiss. "Thank you."

Jeff didn't even ask for what, he just moved his hands from Kurt's chest to pull the blanket up around them, and held his hands. He watched as Kurt closed his eyes and snuggled in closer, resting his head against Jeff's chest, and tucking his feet in next to Jeff's. They were both still a little hard, and while it took Jeff a while to calm down enough to sleep, Kurt was out in 10 minutes.

When Jeff finally fell asleep, he dreamt of the boy in his arms.

* * *

"_I said, 'don't fucking move', homo."_

_Kurt was shaking, trying to keep calm and not scream. Karofsky had one hand around his throat, the other on his belt. He had followed Kurt from Lima all the way to Westerville, had snuck into Windsor, and had broken into Kurt's dorm. Nick wasn't there, and no one else was in the building._

"_Now are you going to do what I tell you?" he nodded, just wanting this to be over. "Take off your jacket." Kurt's hands were shaking as slid the Dalton blazer over his shoulders. Karofsky tightened his hand around the smaller boy's neck. "Now the shirt and tie."_

"_N-" Kurt was slammed against the wall by his bed, and a small picture frame with his mother in it fell to the floor and shattered._

"_I told you…" Karofsky leaned his face close to Kurt's, the stink of his breath making Kurt feel sick. "… to do what I say." His other hand pulled away from Kurt's pants and he started to breath a sigh of relief when Karofsky used it to undo the tie and pull it from his neck. A big, clubbed finger ran down the side of his face, down to the top button of the shirt. Kurt trembled, and then couldn't help but whimper with fear when he ripped the shirt open, and pulled it off._

_The same moment the shirt hit the floor, Karofsky's hand was back down at Kurt's pants, and before he knew it, the vintage belt was undone, and his pants were around his ankles._

"_Turn around." Kurt was shaking. "Turn. The fuck. Around." Karofsky turned him around himself when Kurt couldn't move, and then leaned down to whisper in his ear. "Don't scream."_

_Kurt closed his eyes, and felt him push him over the desk, then his hands moved again; one to the back of his neck, fingers tight and sure to leave a mark, and he wasn't sure where the other went until he heard the 'zzzip' of a zipper. He heard a few grunts from behind him, then felt the worst part of Karofsky touch him. He wanted to die._

* * *

Kurt woke up in a cold sweat, heart racing, and face wet with tears. "Oh, god." He started shaking. He could still feel Jeff in front of him, only now he was on his back, and he was facing away from him. He watched the rise and fall of Jeff's chest as he slept, and tried to match his breathing to his boyfriend's; the nightmare was one that used to pop up every night after the day he was kissed in the locker room, but he hadn't had it for a while. His heart was still pounding, but he needed to calm down and go back to sleep. He considered waking Jeff, but didn't want to bother him; this would probably just make things harder, since Jeff didn't know about that incident. He pulled the blanket closer, and tried to sleep. He prayed that no more nightmares would come that night.

* * *

Jeff woke up the next morning, and was disappointed to see that apart from him, his bed was empty. His phone was ringing on the pillow next to him, though, so he picked it up and answered.

"Hmm?" he didn't think he could form proper words.

"Jeff?"

"Kurt!" he woke up a little more, remembering the night before. "Babe, where are you? Are you okay? Did we go too far last night, or-"

Kurt laughed a little. "No, we didn't. I had to get an early start this morning, and I couldn't wake you up. You sleep like the dead, you know."

"I've been told." He closed his eyes and listened while Kurt talked.

"Well, sweetcheeks, and yes, that's your new nickname, I had to leave early this morning because my dad needs extra help at the shop today. He called me at 6 and asked if I could come home a little sooner."

"Oh." Jeff was a little disappointed. He wanted to wake up to Kurt in his arms.

"I'm sorry, I really am, but I don't want my dad to push himself too far. One heart attack was one too many."

"No, baby, it's fine. Don't worry about it, I just wanted to say goodbye, that's all."

"Well, if it makes you feel any better, I'll call you on my lunch break. And then after work. And then after dinner. And then before I go to bed." Kurt laughed.

"Yes. You should just keep me on your Bluetooth so I can talk to you all day." Jeff suggested, only half-joking.

"Oh, ha ha. Ugh, hold on a second." He heard someone yelling in the background. "Jeff? Sweetie, I gotta go. I just got home a little bit ago, and we've got to head into the shop. I'll call you later!" they said their goodbyes, and hung up. Jeff looked at the time on his phone before he rolled over to go back to sleep, and realized that it was only 9 in the morning. He had been alone in his bed for at least 2 hours. Maybe next time, Kurt would stay longer.

* * *

Kurt was exhausted; he and Finn had helped his dad out at the garage from 9 in the morning to 6 that night, with very few breaks. Kurt didn't really mind so much, since it meant his dad could rest, but it was still tiring. After working at the shop all day, Burt, Kurt and Finn had all come home, showered (Kurt went last, since he used more hot water and took longer), and ate the spaghetti dinner Carole had made them. Finn had gone over to stay the night at Rachel's (their parents thought he was at Puck's), Burt and Carole had already gone to bed, and now, at 8 pm, even though he was _exhausted_, Kurt couldn't sleep. He was afraid to.

_So how was the first day of your weekend? – b_

Kurt smiled when he saw the text message.

_Busy. Helped Dad in the shop with Finn today. Almost 9 straight hours… ugh. And of course, now I can't sleep. – k_

_Why not? – b_

Kurt hesitated, not sure if he should say anything.

_Nightmare last night. I'm still a little off. – k_

He and Blaine had agreed to keep being honest with each other, he was just honoring that. He also really needed a word or two of encouragement from the boy who had tried to help him with Karofsky to begin with.

_What was it about? You okay? – b_

Kurt took a deep breath, then responded.

_Karofsky. It was… bad. I can still feel his hand around my throat from the nightmare. I'm still a little scared right now, to be honest. – k_

_Bad as in…? – b_

_Bad as in the worst bad. Worse than the locker room. – k_

He didn't expect the next message.

_On my way. – b_

_What? No, Blaine, stay in Westerville, I'll be back tomorrow. Don't worry about me, forget I said anything. – k_

He really hoped Blaine would just stay where he was. As much as he wanted to see him and get a little dose of courage, he didn't want Blaine driving 2 hours just to comfort him.

_Too late. I'm actually in McGuffey, at an old friend's house. I'll be there in a little over 30 min. I'll txt you when I get close. – b_

Kurt smiled a little. He was really grateful for Blaine; not many other people would blow off plans with an old friend to help someone who had basically rejected him. But this is the same Blaine who drove 2 hours and missed classes to confront the bully of a kid he had known for a few days. Blaine was extremely altruistic.

He had been laying in his bed, zoning out for a bit, when his phone beeped.

_Right up the street. Your dad and Carole awake? – b_

_No, both asleep in their room. – k_

_Just pulled up. Come let me in. – b_

Kurt got out of bed and opened his bedroom door. He was quiet as he tip-toed down the stairs, even though he doubted he would wake up Carole and his dad; they slept with a fan and a sound machine on. When opened the front door, he was greeted by Blaine's smiling face.

"Come in!" he whispered, and shut and locked the door behind him. Blaine followed Kurt up the stairs and into his room, sitting on his bed and taking off his shoes once the door was shut.

"Nice pajamas." He grinned. Kurt was wearing a set of matching green silk pajamas.

"They are the most comfortable thing I own to sleep in, you have no idea." He unbuttoned the long-sleeve shirt. "It just gets really warm in here when the heater's on, so I'll sleep in an undershirt most of the time, though." Sure enough, a black t-shirt was underneath. He folded the shirt he had taken off, and set it in a drawer, then looked over at Blaine. He was wearing his glasses, a Dalton Academy hoodie, light blue jeans, and mismatched red socks. Blaine took the hoodie off, revealing his Dalton PE shirt, and laid down on top of Kurt's bed.

"Wow, Blaine. Think you own enough Dalton crap?" he laughed, then turned the light off and joined him on top of the covers.

"Hey, it's about comfort, right? Shut up." He smiled a little. "Now, are you going to tell me about this nightmare? I know you've had them about him before." He was quiet, his eyes curious but caring.

Kurt rolled onto his side, facing Blaine. "It's the same one I've had since then. It's always the same." He sighed. "I hate it, Blaine. It actually makes me feel _sick_ when I wake up. I shake, and shiver, and cry, and it really fucking sucks." Blaine reached over to wipe away a stray tear. "I couldn't even wake Jeff up last night to tell him about it, even though I was so scared."

Blaine didn't let his jealousy show, and tried to ignore the voice in the back of his mind that said _he slept with Jeff last night_. He didn't know if they had just fallen asleep together, or if they had done more, but that wasn't important now; Kurt and this nightmare was his focus. "Tell me about it." He was quiet.

Kurt closed his eyes, and let Blaine take one of his hands. He'd probably need someone to hold at least part of him while he recounted the nightmare; just _thinking_ about it made him want to run away and hide.

"The place changes, sometimes. It used to be the locker room, then it was the choir room at McKinley, then last night, it was my dorm. He's there, somehow. He follows me."

* * *

"Blaine." Kurt whispered. "Blaine."

"Hmph." Blaine buried his face deeper into the soft down pillow.

"Blaine!" Kurt raised his voice a little. "You've got to get going, it's already 10 am!"

"Huh?" Blaine finally rolled over, and looked at Kurt, who was sitting in the bed, right next to him. Kurt couldn't help but laugh at the way he looked with his hair all over the place and his face scrunched up. He handed Blaine his glasses from their spot on his nightstand, and waited while he put them on.

"My dad and Carole are gone right now, but they don't know you stayed over. I'm supposed to ask, and since I didn't, I could get into some trouble here."

"I need to leave." Blaine seemed a little slow on the uptake that morning.

"Yeah, I'm sorry." Kurt did feel genuinely sorry; he didn't want Blaine to go. It had been incredibly therapeutic to tell him about the nightmare, and he really liked having someone there with him.

"No, no, it's fine. I totally get it, my parents are the same way. Good thing I parked a few houses down then." He smiled. "I better head out before they come back. I'll see you back at school tonight, okay?" he rolled out of Kurt's bed, and started putting his shoes back on.

"Yep. I'll be there a little later than usual, but I'll still be there." Kurt stood up, and followed Blaine back downstairs. "Thank you, by the way. For coming over last night. I really, really appreciate it."

"Kurt, it's not a problem at all. You know if you need me, I'm there. No matter what time of day or night, or what's going on." He pulled Kurt into a soft hug, his chin resting on Kurt's shoulder.

Kurt didn't say anything, just held him a little tighter, and then let him go.

"I'll see you at school." Blaine stepped back, then opened the door and left. Kurt watched him through the window until he was out of sight, then went back upstairs to his room. It was a little strange having Blaine in his bed, true. But he couldn't deny that it was nice. He and Blaine had fallen asleep holding hands, and it was purely innocent. No awkwardness, no embarrassing body parts not doing what they were supposed to, and no tension. This was the Blaine he had missed; the Blaine who was there for him no matter what, and who could make almost anything better.

He really did like Jeff, and there was no denying the sexual attraction and chemistry between them. They also had a lot in common, and Kurt loved being with him. Kurt could see himself with Jeff for a long time, but he worried that Jeff's jealousy over his friendship with Blaine would get in the way of everything again.

He flopped back down onto his bed and sighed. No, this wasn't confusing or frustrating at all.

* * *

"So what's the news? You said your appointment was last Monday. It's the 8th, Mia, what's up?" Blaine was sitting in the Windsor common room, his French textbook and notebook on the coffee table in front of him. He had come straight from Warbler's to Windsor, and had been working on the French essay due on Monday when his phone rang, Mia on the other end.

"Blaine, sweetie, I'm sorry. We had a lot of tests that needed to get done, and I'm about to go in for another." Mia sounded sad.

"It seriously takes that long to find out if you're pregnant? Wow." He shook his head.

"No, it doesn't."

"So?" he asked, a little worried now.

"No, Blaine. I'm not pregnant." Her voice was soft, and it sounded far away.

"Oh, Mia, I'm so sorry." He felt so bad for her, and was a little sad for himself, too. He felt guilty; it wasn't right to be selfish right now. Mia wasn't pregnant, but she still needed Blaine to support her.

"There's more." He could barely hear her; it sounded like she was whispering.

"Tell me." He needed to know what was going on.

"The doctors told us today, that uh… well. Blaine, they think I've got cancer." He felt his stomach drop, his ears rang, and he had tunnel vision.

"….What?" he was scared.

"I have to go in for more tests today and probably tomorrow, but they're pretty sure it's some kind of cancer. They don't know how bad it is, but they didn't sound too confident when they talked about it." Her voice was shaking.

"Mia, Mia, no. No, they're wrong, you don't have cancer. You've just got the flu or something, not cancer. No. No." he didn't know what he was saying, but his sister, his big sister and protector, could _not_ have cancer. No.

"Blaine, I'm so sorry, baby. I-I can't do anything about this. I can't make it go away." He heard her start to cry, then he heard Paul's soft voice in the background.

"Sweetheart, I've got to go. I've got to go in for my biopsy now, but I'll call you as soon as we know anything, okay? I love you. Don't ever doubt that. I love you." He looked at the phone in his hands after she hung up. Mia Alexandra Anderson, his big sister, might have cancer.

* * *

"Uh, no. You're wrong." Kurt was shaking his head at Jeff as the two walked down the stairs toward the Windsor commons. The 2004 Phantom of the Opera movie was supposed to be on tv in a bit, and they wanted to watch it.

"The Phantom loved Christine! He did what he did for her, to further her career and try to make her happy." Jeff was of the opinion that the Phantom was just a hopeless romantic. Kurt disagreed.

"Jeff, babe, the Phantom? He's a creeper. He's a psychopath. I'm not saying the story's not great, I'm just saying that Raoul was obviously the better choice, since he wasn't nuts." Jeff laughed, and the two boys walked into the commons, ready to watch and keep up their commentary. "Blaine?" Kurt saw Blaine sitting on one of the sofas, staring at the phone in his hand.

"Blaine, what's up, man?" Jeff may not have liked Blaine, but something was obviously _really_ wrong here.

"Blaine, look at me." Kurt picked up the phone from Blaine's hand, and set it on the table. Jeff watched as Kurt touched Blaine's chin to turn his face to him, and tried to ignore the jealousy that was brewing in the pit of his stomach.

"Mia." He whispered.

"Your sister? What's wrong? Did she lose the baby? Is she okay?" Kurt asked.

Blaine shook his head, then cleared his throat. "She was never pregnant, Kurt." He took a ragged breath, and fought against the tears that were about to come. "They think it's cancer. My sister, Kurt, she might have fucking _cancer_."

Jeff's eyes widened, and he and Kurt shared a look; both were worried and scared for Blaine now. Jeff didn't even think of jealousy this time, when Kurt pulled Blaine into his arms, and let him cry.

He didn't sob, he didn't bawl. The tears came slowly, one by one, and he barely noticed when Jeff sat on his other side and put his hand on his back. Blaine didn't know what to do at that moment, other than let himself be held by the person he wanted, and the person he could barely stand.

* * *

**Next: Jeff tries to find out what _really_ happened to Kurt at McKinley, while trying to stay calm about the extra time he's spending with Blaine.**


	7. The Pain

**A/N: I'm sorry this took so long, writer's block was awful. I don't really have much to say, so enjoy. **

**

* * *

**

It was 6 pm on Monday night, and Blaine was sitting alone in his room, grateful that Wes wasn't there to see him. Time seemed to go really slow and really fast at the same time, and it made him a little dizzy. Monday, March 28th was the day his sister went for her first doctor's appointment to see if she was pregnant. Blaine didn't really know a lot about what happened between then and the phone call on the 8th of April, but by then, his sister was getting ready to be wheeled into surgery so the doctors could perform a biopsy.

That afternoon, April 11th, as soon as 6th period was out, Blaine got a phone call from his brother-in-law. Mia had been diagnosed with Stage 2 ovarian cancer, but they caught it extremely early. He knew this was a good thing, because it meant that she could be cured. The doctors had been a little nervous at first, because this kind of cancer usually didn't present symptoms early on. They were worried that it was more progressed, that it was worse.

After that call, Blaine had gone straight to his room. He sent Wes a text message saying he didn't feel well and was sorry about missing the first rehearsal of the week, and Wes had just told him to feel better.

He didn't really want to tell anyone about his sister just yet, even though only Wes, David, Kurt and Jeff knew what was going on. Kurt had been the most concerned, but the least pushy; he didn't try to make Blaine talk. David and Wes, on the other hand, were afraid to leave Blaine alone.

He had stayed at Dalton the previous weekend, since his parents and brother were in Indiana with his sister. He had asked if he could go with them, but Mia told him she wanted him to stay at Dalton, since she'd be in and out of the hospital for tests and he wouldn't get to see her much. As soon as things were more stable, she promised, she wanted him out there.

_Is it alright if I come see you? Rehearsal is over. – k_

_Sure. Is Wes coming up? – b_

_No, he, David and Thad are having a council meeting. I'm stopping by the cafeteria before they close, want a coffee? – k_

_Yeah, please. Thanks. – b_

Blaine felt a little better. He knew he needed to talk to somebody about this, and Kurt would probably understand more than anyone.

_Be there in 5. :) – k_

He got up and opened the door a few minutes later when he heard Kurt's knock. The taller boy smiled and handed him his coffee, and Blaine moved aside to let him in.

"Be glad you missed rehearsal today. Wes threw his gavel at Eric, but Eric ducked and it hit Jeff. Then Jeff kind of went crazy and attacked Wes with his own gavel." Kurt sighed, then sat down next to Blaine on his bed.

"Wow. What's the damage?"

"Um, Jeff has a big bump and bruise on his forehead, and possibly a mild concussion. He's in the nurse's office. Wes has a black eye, and since Jeff jumped over the table, the chair is broken. Oh, and David got slapped in the face, but we don't know who did it. It was a little nuts." Kurt took a drink of his coffee.

"Why did Wes throw his gavel at Eric, anyway?" Blaine asked.

"He insulted his girlfriend. Told Wes that Penny wasn't as good a singer as she thought she was."

"Ah. Now I can understand it. Wes is extremely sensitive about his girlfriend. Penny's actually a lot like your friend, Rachel. It's a little scary, actually." Blaine shook his head. "I really hope they get their crap figured out before tomorrow, I don't want to go to rehearsal only to stop a fight."

Kurt took another drink of his coffee, then looked at Blaine. "So, what's up? Why did you miss rehearsal tonight?"

Blaine took a deep breath. "Mia called." He looked away. "Apparently, she has Stage 2 ovarian cancer. It's still early enough that they can treat with a good chance of a full recovery, though." He tried to smile.

"Blaine." Kurt said, his voice quiet. "You know you don't have to be brave here, right? You can say anything, and I won't judge you." Blaine nodded.

They sat in silence for a while, just drinking their coffee. Blaine was surprised when Kurt finished his drink and got up from the bed. "Where are you going?" he asked. He knew he sounded needy, but at that moment, he didn't really care.

"I'm throwing away the cup, Blaine. Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere." He smiled and dropped the empty cup in the trash can.

"Sorry." Blaine looked down at his own almost-empty cup, his face turning red.

"Don't apologize, you're fine." He sat back down. "So. Are you okay?" he asked quietly, watching as Blaine drained his coffee and set it on the nightstand. The two boys were leaning against the wall, sitting close enough to feel the warmth from each other, but far enough away that they weren't touching. It took a lot of restraint for Kurt not to reach out and take Blaine's hand.

"I don't know. I mean, I think I am. But I only found out a few hours ago." He looked at Kurt. "I'm still scared, though. This is cancer, Kurt. Even if they get it all now, it could come back. She could get worse."

"She could. Or she could get it all removed and be completely fine and live a great, long, healthy life with lots of kids. You never know."

"Yeah." Blaine looked thoughtful.

"I'm not going to tell you not to be upset right now, because you have every reason to be. But I know you; you're going through all the worst-case scenarios in your head right now, and that's not going to help you feel any better." Blaine looked guilty; he had been thinking the worst. "I know that you have a tendency to want to protect people, and I know you probably want to rush to Indiana right now to protect Mia, but you really can't do that." He opened his mouth to speak, but Kurt continued. "What you can do, however, is tell me how you feel. Any time. Text, call, email, whatever. I know I wasn't here this weekend, but you didn't message me once. I was worried."

"I kind of wanted to be left alone; I only talked to my family." He explained. He felt bad for not contacting Kurt; he knew he worried, but he didn't really feel like talking to anyone.

"I get it." He smiled and leaned into Blaine, knocking their shoulders. "Don't worry about it. I just want you to know that you can talk to me. 'Kay?"

"Okay." Blaine grinned, and felt a little better. It was nice having Kurt in his life.

_It doesn't matter if you love him, or capital H-I-M _

_Just put your paws up _

_'Cause you were born this way, baby_

"Hold on, that's my phone…" Kurt started looking through his pockets, and finally found the iPhone. "Hey, babe."

Ah. Jeff.

"No concussion? Good. Are you going back to your room now? Um, yeah. I'm over at Blaine's room. No, I can meet you there. Nope, already got some." He paused for a bit. "No. Don't worry, I'll be there. "'Kay. See you in a few." He hung up.

"So he doesn't have a concussion?" Blaine asked, keeping his voice light.

Kurt got up from the bed. "Apparently not, just a bad headache. He's supposed to get checked again tomorrow, since there _is_ a slight chance that he could have one, but the school nurse doubts it."

"That's good. I take it you're leaving?" Blaine asked. He didn't want Kurt to go.

"Yeah, he wants me to meet him at his room. I mean, I can stay here if you want me to…" Kurt seemed concerned at Blaine's facial expression.

"No! No, I'll be okay. I imagine Wes will be back soon, to bitch about your boyfriend. I'll have company." He smiled a fake smile, not realizing that Kurt knew the difference.

"Alright. But if you need anything, you text me. Understand?"

"Yep."

"Okay. I'll talk to you later." He leaned over to give Blaine a quick hug, then walked out the door, leaving Blaine to his thoughts.

* * *

"Oh, wow…" Kurt sat down next to Jeff on his bed, his eyes wide and staring at the massive bump on his forehead.

"I'm going to kill Wes. He's dead. You think we can break into his and Blaine's room tonight? My dad owns land. A lot of land. Nobody will find his body." Jeff was obviously still upset, and Kurt didn't blame him. The gavel had hit at exactly the right angle that there was a big, perfect circle just above Jeff's left eyebrow.

"You're not killing anyone. People would look for Wes, and you'd be the first person they'd think to murder him, next to David." Kurt watched Jeff lay back on his pillow and closed his eyes.

"Ugh. I don't think that many people would actually look for him. He's kind of an obnoxious twit." Jeff muttered, and laid down.

"True. Very true." He sighed. "Jeff, you know I want to stay here and baby you, but I have to get going. I'm supposed to help Nick with our French homework." Kurt got up from the bed.

"No." Jeff said.

"I have to."

"I don't want you to go. Stay?"

"Jeff. We have spent almost every day together for the last month, not counting weekends. Nick is about to fail French, and we have a test this Friday. I need to go. Besides, aren't we going out Friday night?" Kurt wouldn't mind staying there for a bit and spending time with his boyfriend, but he really did have to help Nick.

"Yeah, I know. I'm sorry. I just really want to spend time with you." Jeff pouted.

"It's alright. I'll see you tomorrow, I've gotta get going."

"Want to get coffee with me before classes tomorrow?" Jeff asked, hopeful.

"Sure. I'll text you when I'm ready to go in the morning." Kurt smiled, and leaned down to kiss him. He didn't expect Jeff to wrap his arms around his waist and pull him down. He started to pull away, about to make some statement about how they had all the time in the world to spend making out, and then Jeff grabbed his ass.

Kurt raised his eyebrows at the contact, and tried to move, but Jeff just held tighter.

"Ten minutes." Jeff's eyes were hooded, and he moved his hands to Kurt's hips. "Take off the blazer and stay a while."

"Jeff." Kurt's voice was laced with warning, but Jeff paid it no mind; he pulled Kurt's hips toward his own, and kissed him hard. Kurt let himself settle on top of Jeff, and kissed him back. He knew he should get back to his room; he should get off of his boyfriend, leave, and go back to his room, but he didn't. Not only did he let Jeff keep kissing him, he kissed him back. Kurt felt Jeff's cold hands slip under his white button-down shirt, moving slowly, like he was relishing the feel of Kurt's skin.

"No, Jeff. I have to go." Kurt got up suddenly. He knew that if he stayed much longer, he'd do something he'd regret. True, he was a teenage boy, but he still had _some_ impulse control. Jeff didn't move for a second, he just watched Kurt walk away. "I'll call you later." Kurt smiled, his face covered in a blush. His hand was on the doorknob when he felt Jeff come up behind him, his hands light on his hips.

"Hold on. You forgot something." Kurt let Jeff turn him around, then Jeff leaned in and kissed him along his jaw. He had been standing a few inches from the door, but Jeff moved forward, pushing him back.

"N-" he opened his mouth to speak, but Jeff covered his mouth with his own, his hands tugging at the waistband of Kurt's pants. He felt himself going backwards, thinking he might fall, when his back hit the door, hard. He didn't even think about what he was doing. All he could see when he opened his eyes was Karofsky, tall, confused, angry, and towering over him. He shoved as hard as he could, not fully realizing that no, Karofsky was _not_ there, was _not_ the one kissing him; his boyfriend was. "Jeff!" he yelled as Jeff fell back, hitting the back of his head on the corner of his bed.

Kurt rushed to Jeff, who was trying to sit up. "I'm so sorry! I'm so so sor-" he shut up when he saw the look on Jeff's face.

"What the hell, Kurt?" he asked, and moved his hand to the back of his head. He was sitting propped up against his bed, where Kurt joined him a moment later.

Kurt looked truly apologetic, and a little scared. "Let me see." Jeff leaned his head forward a little, and let his hands fall to his lap. He winced when Kurt's gentle fingers brushed the spot where the bed frame had hit him, and Kurt whispered another 'sorry'. Jeff was pissed, but he was also confused. He really wanted to know why the hell Kurt pushed him away like that.

"Why did you push me? I told you that I wouldn't do anything you didn't want to, and honestly, if you thought I was going too far, you could have just said something. You didn't have to resort to physical violence."

"I'm sorry." Kurt was quiet. He moved his hands from Jeff's head, and instead took Jeff's hands. "I really am. I just… I had a moment."

"No shit." Jeff took his hands back, and stood up. "You pushed me, Kurt. You pushed me pretty damn hard, too. Are you going to tell me what that's all about?" He glared at the boy sitting on the floor.

Kurt looked down, then pulled his knees up to his chest. "If I tell you something, you can't tell anyone else. Can I trust you?" he asked.

"You know you can." Jeff wanted to move back to sit next to Kurt, but he still stood there, his arms crossed. "We promised to be honest with each other, and if you don't tell me what this is about, then you're not holding up your end of the bargain. I need to know what's up." He sat on Eric's bed.

Kurt took a deep breath. When he started talking, he still wasn't looking at Jeff. "You know I was bullied back at McKinley. You know about the locker slams, slushie facials, all that." Jeff nodded. "Do you remember what I said about the bully who finally pushed me out?"

"Yeah, you said he threatened to kill you." Jeff's voice seemed darker and angrier when he said it.

"I didn't exactly tell you why, though." Kurt could feel himself shaking slightly, still scared of what Karofsky could do to him. Before Jeff could speak, Kurt kept talking. "One day, he slammed me really hard into a row of lockers. I usually just did nothing, but I took Blaine's advice, and I went after him." Jeff was confused, and Kurt noticed. "He told me that I could either be the victim, or confront Karofsky. I confronted him. It didn't work the way I wanted it to, though. It sort of backfired."

"Backfired how?" Jeff asked.

"I chased him into the locker room, and asked him what his problem was. He kept threatening me, but I was used to that. I expected that. I didn't expect him to kiss me." Kurt's voice was so quiet, Jeff wasn't sure he heard him right.

"Kissed you? Like, _kissed_ you?"

"Yeah. He grabbed my face, and next thing I knew, his mouth was on mine and it was _awful_ and I didn't know what to do. He pulled back, and I thought he might hit me or do something _more_, so when he leaned back in, I shoved him. As hard as I could. But Jeff, he's so big, I could barely move him. I'm so lucky he decided to run out. So lucky." Jeff noticed a few tears flowing down Kurt's face, and before he could stop himself, he moved to sit next to him. He wrapped an arm around Kurt's shoulder, and kissed his forehead.

"Kurt, why didn't you tell me?" he asked.

"I didn't want anyone to know."

"Is that why he said he'd kill you? Because he kissed you?"

"Kind of. He told me he'd kill me if I told anyone. And I was stupid, Jeff. I told Blaine."

"Wait. You told Blaine?" Jeff was starting to get a little pissed.

"Well, yeah. He was the only gay guy I knew at the time, and he was the only one who knew what was really going on. Of course I told him."

"But that Karofsky guy said he'd _kill_ you."

"I know that. I just… I needed to tell someone. And when Blaine came to McKinley the next day, he helped me confront him again. It wasn't a violent one, it was more of a 'hey, we know you're gay, you can talk to us' kind of thing. I had hoped it would make him open up, or at least back off."

Jeff was thoroughly pissed off now. First, Blaine tells Kurt to confront the guy who makes his life a living hell. Then Blaine tells him to do it again, only he'd be there to help. What the hell was Blaine thinking?

"Kurt, why didn't you tell me about this before?" Jeff asked, trying to keep his voice even.

"Because I didn't want you to think I was weak."

"I'd never think you were weak. I think you were a bit of an idiot about it, yeah, same with Blaine, but I'd never think you were weak."

Kurt sat up, and turned to look at Jeff. "Idiot? How was I an idiot? And how was Blaine one?"

"Think about it, Kurt. He basically told you to go in, guns blazing, and put yourself in the line of fire with that guy. Then he comes with you and tries to talk to him about the kiss? And you _let_ him? Kurt, there's a time and a place for that, and it's not at school, not where you've been harassed for years. That's just stupid."

Kurt stood up. "Well, I'm _sorry_, Jeff. I was going through hell and I took the advice of someone who's dealt with it before. I'm not like you, I haven't been spoiled in preppy boarding schools all my life. I've had to deal with being kicked, punched, thrown in empty dumpsters, being locked in port-a-potties, and all sorts of shit that _you_ wouldn't fucking get."

Jeff stood up, going a little slowly so he wouldn't fall over. "Kurt, don't take this out on me. You're the one who shoved me. I'm sorry if it got a little too close to what happened before, but we could have avoided all this shit if you had actually opened up to me instead of _Blaine_."

"I told you, Jeff. Blaine was the one who was there. He was the one who went through crap, too. You would have been the one I called if I had met you that day, but no, I met him. Now I'm sorry I pushed you, I really am. I didn't mean to, it was just a stupid flashback or something. But I'm going to go now, before either of us says anything else we'll regret. Bye." Kurt spun on his heel and walked out the door, trying not to slam it behind him.

* * *

It was almost midnight when Kurt heard his phone start to ring.

_I wanna see your peacock, cock, cock, your peacock, cock_

_Your peacock, cock, cock, your peacock_

Kurt answered it quickly, not wanting to wake Nick. They had studied for a while, until Nick thought he was ready for the test.

"Blaine, what's going on? It's late, are you okay?" Peacock was Blaine's ringtone; he chose it himself. He thought it would be hilarious, plus it was Katy Perry. Kurt was too lazy to change it.

"I'm fine, just can't sleep. Did I wake you?" Blaine asked.

"No, I was awake. I couldn't sleep, either." Kurt kept replaying his argument with Jeff over and over. They hadn't talked the rest of the night, and Kurt couldn't stop thinking about what Jeff said. '_He basically told you to go in, guns blazing, and put yourself in the line of fire with that guy. Then he comes with you and tries to talk to him about the kiss? And you __**let**__ him?'_

"Everything okay?" Blaine sounded concerned.

"No." he knew better than to try to lie to Blaine; he could usually tell.

"What happened?"

"I told Jeff about when Karofsky kissed me." He sighed.

"And how did he take it?"

"Well, he didn't take it so well. Mainly because the only reason I talked about it to begin with was because I had shoved him. He fell. And hit his head on his bed frame."

Blaine tried not to laugh; it wasn't really that funny. "Why did you shove him? What did he do?"

Kurt blushed, not really wanting to tell him. "Because."

"Did he hurt you?" Now Blaine was worried.

"No, nothing like that. He just…" Kurt trailed off.

"Tell me." Blaine's voice was firm.

"It's embarrassing."

"You saw pictures of me in a dress."

"You were 8." Kurt retorted.

"Doesn't matter. Tell me. I won't judge you, just… I want to know."

"Fine." He sighed. "We were kind of making out, and we were close to the door."

"Okay." Blaine tried not to listen to the jealous voices in his head.

"He got a little too into it, and he pushed me into the door. Not too hard, but hard enough. It reminded me of-"

"Of when Karofsky kissed you." Blaine sounded murderous. "Kurt, if it reminded you of that, then he _did_ push you hard."

"Well, I shoved him back. Really hard. He ended up falling, and I hurt him. And now I feel like shit."

Blaine didn't really know what to say, so he stayed quiet.

"Blaine? You still there?" Kurt sounded a little panicky.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm here. Just not sure what to say right now."

"For once in your life." Kurt let out a small laugh.

"You. Hush."

"I will if you tell me what you're thinking. I know you, Mr. Anderson, and you have an opinion on absolutely everything. So tell me what your opinion on this is." Kurt was right, of course. Blaine did have an opinion on everything, even though he kept it quiet most of the time.

"Okay. But not right now, Wes is starting to wake up. Tomorrow?"

"No. If you don't tell me now, I'll stay up all night worrying about Jeff _and_ you."

"Kurt, Wes is going to kill me if I wake him up." Blaine was whispering.

"Then meet me downstairs in the common room. No one will care, Jeff and I are always down there after hours, if Nick and Eric don't want us hanging out in the rooms." Blaine didn't want to think about what they were doing down there. It was best that he not know any real details about their relationship.

"Fine. Let me put on a shirt and I'll meet you down there in 5." Blaine said as he slipped out of bed.

"See ya." Kurt hung up as he tried not to think of Blaine shirtless. He may have been fighting with his boyfriend, but that was no reason to fantasize about his friend.

* * *

"Having difficulties?" Kurt walked into the Windsor common room, where Blaine was trying to get the fire going.

Blaine dropped the poker and jumped. "Jesus, Kurt! You scared me!" Kurt laughed.

"What can I say? I'm like a ninja." He shut the door to the common room behind him, and sat down on one of the many leather couches.

"Ugh. I give up." Blaine picked up the poker and set it on the hook, then sat next to Kurt.

"So. I'm down here. Tell me what you think about what I told you." Kurt was a little nervous to hear what Blaine thought.

"Well, you want the truth, right?" Kurt nodded. "Okay. You know I feel about you."

"Blaine-" Kurt started.

"No, listen. You know how I feel about you, but I don't want you to think that has anything to do with what I'm about to say. This is coming from me as your friend, alright?"

"Okay."

"Good. Now, I'm only getting your side of the story, so I can only comment on that. But since I really don't want to talk to Jeff, this is what you're stuck with." He took a breath. "You pushed him. That wasn't okay. Not only did you push him, he got hurt. That's _really_ not okay."

"I didn't mean to hurt him, Blaine, it just happened. I swear, in that moment, I thought he _was_ Karofsky. It was so much like the time he kissed me, with being pushed against the door…"

"I know you didn't mean to." He knocked Kurt's shoulder. "I know that. And it's not like I'm siding with him, if there even _is_ a side. But you're not the bad guy here."

"Who is, then? I feel like it's me. I'm sure that Jeff thinks it's me. I pushed him, Blaine. I hurt him, just like you said." He dropped his head in his hands.

"Karofsky. He's the bad guy. He's the one who started this. If he hadn't gone after you like that, none of this would be happening. Don't blame yourself, it's his fault." Blaine pulled Kurt into a hug, and Kurt let his head settle on Blaine's chest. "Just calm down, breathe for a bit. You'll be fine, and so will he, and you guys will talk and everything will be great."

Kurt let his eyes close, and snuggled in closer to Blaine, curling his legs up under him. Blaine reached behind them and pulled a blanket from the top of the sofa around the two of them, enjoying the feel of Kurt against him.

"Thank you." Kurt whispered.

"For what?" Blaine asked, resting his head on top of Kurt's.

"Being here for me. I know I haven't exactly been a model friend, but-"

"Shh. Just chill for a bit. You've been fine." Blaine didn't add that he felt like the bad friend here.

They hadn't meant to fall asleep, but Kurt was soon passed out, curled into Blaine, and holding onto the front of his shirt. Blaine fell asleep soon after, his arms wrapped around Kurt, holding him as close as he could get.

* * *

"What the _FUCK_?" Blaine opened one eye, and squinted at the bright sunlight that was flooding the common room. Jeff was standing in the doorway, with Eric, Nick, Wes and David behind him.

"Blaine? Wusgoinon?" Kurt mumbled next to him, lifting his head from it's spot on Blaine's chest. He looked around, and realized that he and Blaine were cuddled up on a couch, their legs tangled and clothes askew, a blanket on the floor.

"Yeah, _Blaine_, what in the fucking _hell_ is going on? What are you doing with my boyfriend?" Jeff looked livid, and he walked toward the two boys. The other guys in the hall looked like they wanted to stop him, but no one did.

Blaine sat up quickly, extracting himself from Kurt. "Dude, nothing happened. We were talking last night, and we must have fallen asleep. It's not a big deal." He stood up.

"Talking, huh? About what?" he glared at Kurt this time, who looked a little scared.

"I, I was worried. About you." Kurt's voice was small.

"So you ran to him?" Jeff was trying to sound angry, but he sounded more hurt than anything. "Seriously?" Jeff started moving toward Kurt, but Blaine stepped in front of him.

"Back off, Jeff. He was telling the truth. He was worried about everything that happened with you guys yesterday, and he wanted some advice. Relax." Blaine noticed the others move in from the hall. "Why doesn't everyone just go back to their rooms and get ready for the day? We can deal with this later." He wasn't sure what time it was, but he knew it had to be early; everyone was still in pajamas.

"No." Jeff said. "No. You two aren't going anywhere until you tell me what _really_ happened last night."

"Baby, nothing happened, I swear!" Kurt got up and moved around Blaine to get to Jeff.

"You don't get to call me that. Not after spending the night with _him_". There was venom in his voice when he mentioned Blaine.

"Guys, it's 6. We've really gotta get going, classes start in an hour and a half." Wes spoke up from the group by the door.

"Then go." Jeff didn't take his eyes off of Kurt when he said it.

"Jeff, you need to chill out. Nothing happened, trust me." Blaine said.

"Trust you? _You_? You just want him for yourself." At that, the other boys raised their eyebrows. No one had really told them everything.

"Jeff, I'm still his friend."

"Friends don't hold each other like you guys did." Jeff looked like he might cry, his clear blue eyes full of pain. What he had seen when he walked in hurt him more than he wanted to admit; Blaine and Kurt looked like they just _belonged_ with each other. They fit together perfectly on that couch, and Jeff didn't want to see it. He turned to walk away, but stopped when Blaine started to speak.

"Jeff, I'm serious, we're just frie-" he was forced to stop talking when one of Jeff's fists landed on his jaw, the other in his stomach. He buckled over, and heard Kurt's cry of 'no!', followed by a kick to his side.

He was kneeling on the ground, trying to stop from falling over when Jeff was pulled away from him by Wes and David.

"Fuck you, Blaine! _Fuck you!_" Jeff was yelling as he was dragged out of the common room, probably to his dorm.

"Oh, god, Blaine, are you okay?" Kurt knelt next to him, running a hand over the spot on his jaw where Jeff had hit him. "Guys, can you get me a couple ice packs, please?" Nick and Eric nodded and left, both feeling more than a little uncomfortable.

"I'm fine." Blaine answered, then tried to get up.

"No, sit down. They'll be back with the ice packs soon, just relax." Kurt put his hands on his shoulders and helped him sit back against the couch, then sat in front of him.

Blaine sighed, then winced when he moved wrong and pain shot through his side. "Sorry." He apologized to Kurt, hoping he wasn't too pissed.

"For what?" Kurt asked, his voice gentle.

"Here you go, Kurt. I'll see you later, okay?" Nick had brought Kurt two instant ice packs and a towel.

"Yeah, thanks. See you." He smiled at his roommate, who left, then took one of the ice packs, wrapped it in the towel and held it to Blaine's jaw.

"I'm serious, Kurt. I'm sorry." Blaine looked at Kurt, who wasn't showing any emotion.

"Again, 'for what'?"

"I shouldn't have let you fall asleep down here. I should have woken you up and made you go back to your room."

"If you hadn't noticed, you fell asleep, too. It's not your fault, we were tired." He shrugged.

"We really hurt Jeff, didn't we?" Blaine asked.

"No." Blaine looked at him, confused. "I did. I told you, Blaine. I already pushed him, then I follow it up with sleeping on the couch with someone who likes me? I keep screwing everything up." He looked sad now, his blue/gray eyes beginning to pool with tears.

"Kurt, it'll be fine. Jeff's head over heels in love with you, he's not going to let this get in the way." He didn't want to say it, but he needed to. He needed to reaffirm how Jeff felt in his mind just as much as Kurt's; one night cuddling didn't change anything, he was still with Jeff.

Kurt was quiet for a little while, slowly moving the ice pack over Blaine's jaw. They kept looking at each other, both of their heads filled with thoughts that they didn't want to say out loud for fear of how the other might react.

"Blaine…" Kurt started. He looked like he was going to say something, but thought better of it. "You feel okay enough to stand and get to your room?" he had a fake smile on his face.

"Yeah." Blaine was quiet, his face blank. He let Kurt help him up, and he didn't let any of his pain show. Kurt picked up the blanket that had fallen during the night, and placed it back on the back of the couch before accompanying Blaine out of the common room and up the stairs.

They had gotten to Blaine's room before Kurt said anything. "Blaine, I need a day or two, to figure some things out." He stared at the floor as he spoke. "I'm not mad at you or anything, I just have a lot of things to think about. And I need to be alone for a bit to do that." He looked up. "Is that okay?"

Blaine's eyes glanced at Kurt's, seeing the confusion and hurt that was there. "Anything you want, Kurt. Just let me know if you need me." He didn't smile, but he let Kurt give him a light hug.

"I always need you." It was quiet, quieter than a whisper, but Blaine was sure he heard Kurt say it.

* * *

**Next: Kurt has some thinking to do...**


	8. The Betrayal

**A/N: No real Author's Note today. I loved last night's episode, though. I would write more, but I read an awful letter to the editor in our local paper, about Wyoming HB0074. It didn't pass, thankfully, but I still got really upset about the letter. Look up the bill on Google if you want to know more.**

**Ladies and Gentlemen, here you go.**

* * *

"What up, Kurt?" Mercedes asked from Kurt's computer screen. That day at school had gone by achingly slow, and so had the Tuesday night Warbler's rehearsal. Rehearsal was also extremely awkward, since Kurt and Jeff had to stand next to each other for most of it. Jeff wouldn't even look at him.

"Oh, so, so much, Mercedes. So much." Kurt sighed, and closed his eyes for a moment, before Mercedes could ask what was going on. "Just drama with Jeff. And Blaine. And me. Ugh, I don't know what to do right now."

She looked concerned. "Jeff? _And_ Blaine? What the hell, Kurt, what happened?"

"I kind of hurt Jeff. Physically, I mean. And maybe emotionally. Yeah, probably that one, too."

"Physically? Seriously, Kurt? What did he do, steal your moisturizer?" She started to laugh until she saw his face.

"I shoved him, Mercedes. Kind of hard, too. He already got hurt at rehearsal, and then I pushed him, so he fell and hit his head again." He felt guilt rise up in his throat like bile.

"Whoa. What did he do?"

"Huh?" he asked.

"What did he do to make you push him? I know you, Kurt, you don't get physically violent, ever. He must have done something to provoke you."

He paused, not sure if he should tell her anything else. "'Cedes, if I tell you something, you have to keep it between just you and me, okay?"

She nodded.

"I'm serious. You told everybody about Puck and Quinn and Beth, but you better not tell anybody _anything_. Your inability to keep your mouth shut is not something I need right now."

"Okay, Kurt. I swear I won't say anything." She held up her hands in the Girl Scout sign.

Kurt took a breath. "We were kissing, and he pushed me against the door. It was a little hard, but I overreacted and pushed him as hard as I could. He went backwards and hit his head."

Mercedes' jaw dropped. "Well, that's an overreaction if I've ever heard of one! Damn, boy! He was _kissing_ you and you _pushed_ him? What the hell was goin' on in that hair-sprayed head of yours?"

"I'm not done!" Kurt raised his voice a little. Luckily, Nick was in the common room downstairs; Kurt wouldn't have had a Skype conversation if he was there.

"What's your explanation, then? There better be one, 'cause pushing your first and only boyfriend? That ain't cool."

"God, Mercedes. Chill. Just wait." He rolled his eyes at her. "When we were making out, it sort of… triggered something." He went quiet, suddenly afraid to continue. What if she judged him? What if she got mad at him for not saying something sooner, or thought he was overreacting again?

"Triggered what? Tell me, Kurt." She sounded a little more than frustrated with him.

"I tell you this, you keep your mouth shut. Do you understand me?" he saw her nod, then continued. "Okay. You know why I left McKinley, right?"

"Yeah, Karofsky said he'd kill you if you told anyone he'd been harassing you. And?"

"That's not exactly why I left. I mean, yeah, he threatened my life, but not for that." He saw her open her mouth to talk, but kept going before she could say anything. "He threatened to kill me if I told anyone what he really did to me. Mercedes, he… he kissed me." He watched her face on his computer screen, waiting for the yells, the 'what the hell', the threats. None of it came; she just sat there, her eyes wide and sad and confused all at the same time. "'Cedes?" he asked tentatively.

She lifted up a hand and looked away for a moment. When she turned back to the screen, her voice was just above a whisper. "…What happened?"

"I followed him into the locker room after he threw me into a wall. I got so angry, Mercedes, I didn't know what else to do. And Blaine said that I should confront him, and I did, and it backfired and he kissed me." He rambled.

"Kurt, why didn't you tell anyone?" she asked, her voice still quiet.

"The jock who's made my life a living hell since the first day of freshman year _kisses_ me and I'm going to go tell everyone? Yeah, right. Are you insane? He threatened to kill me after that, if I told anyone. I value my life, Mercedes. I don't want to throw it away because some closeted homophobic jock wants to take out his repressed sexuality on me." He snapped at her.

"Kurt, I'm so sorry." Her eyes looked sad, and he could tell she meant it. "I can't believe he would do that to you. So, does that mean he's-"

"Gay? Yeah. Completely explains everything, if you think about it." He shrugged.

"Have you told anyone else about this?" she asked.

"I told Blaine. I actually called him right after it happened. I had to find my phone first, since Karofsky knocked it out of my hand, but-"

"Wait, what? You called _Blaine_ right after? Why couldn't you tell me, or Finn, or any of us?" she seemed ticked off.

"I called Blaine because he's the only one who would understand. And before you say anything, " he saw her open her mouth, "he gets it because he's gay. And he's been through crap before, okay? I mean, you've been slushied, but you've never dealt with dumpsters or locker slams or anything else like that. He has."

"You barely knew him back then. Aren't I your best friend? Why couldn't you say something to me?" she was hurt, and he hated it.

"I couldn't say anything to you because you'd go to Finn, okay?" he raised his voice again. "And then Finn would go after Karofsky, and he would _know_ that I said something, and he'd come after _**me**_!" he was shaking a little as he finished, but he knew he got his point across; Mercedes looked like she regretted saying anything. "He'd come after me, and I'd get hurt. You don't know what he's capable of, Mercedes. He really would do something, and I'll be _damned_ if I would let it happen."

"Okay." She said, quiet again.

"Okay?" he asked, unsure of what was going on.

"Okay, I get it. I understand. I still wish you had told me, but I get why you went to him." She smiled a little. "Now tell me what this has to do with Blaine and Jeff now."

* * *

Kurt was standing in the shower, letting the Fekkai conditioner soak in his hair. He didn't feel much better about the situation at hand; he had told Mercedes almost everything, except for the almost-kiss the day of the movie marathon. She had kept mostly silent, nodding and shaking her head when appropriate, but she did say one thing that stuck on his mind after he told her he still had feelings for Blaine: _If you like him, you like him. You can't make that go away. You just need to figure out if losing your relationship with Jeff is worth gaining one with Blaine._

That was it, right there. He knew that both Jeff and Blaine had feelings for him, but he wasn't sure if he could leave the comfort of his relationship with Jeff for the uncertainty of a relationship with Blaine. Still, he couldn't deny that he still felt really, _really_ strongly toward him. If only Blaine had figured out his feelings before…

* * *

Mercedes was sitting on her bed, absentmindedly doodling on the margins of her math homework. She felt guilty, and she knew she deserved it. Quinn had called shortly after her Skype conversation with Kurt, and she couldn't help it; she told her about Karofsky kissing him. Kurt was right, she couldn't keep her mouth shut. She only hoped nothing would happen because of her.

* * *

Jeff moved the ice pack from the back of his head to the front, ignoring the little stab of pain when he moved his head too quickly. He had visited the nurse again that day, after the pseudo-fight with Blaine, and was pleased that he still didn't have a concussion. His right hand hurt a little; he didn't realize Blaine's jaw was that solid. He felt guilty but justified in his actions; his boyfriend had been sleeping with the guy who had a crush on him, didn't he have the right to get pissed?

"Dude, you look like crap." Eric noted as he walked into their room and dropped his bag on the floor.

"Shut up." He rolled over a little on his bed, facing away from Eric.

"You need to talk to Kurt. Rehearsal was insanely awkward today, and I don't want to deal with that tomorrow." He sat down to take off his shoes.

"He doesn't want to talk to me. Messaged me during first period, said he needed a few days to think. He's pissed at me for this morning." He said.

"I don't blame him." Eric ignored the glare from Jeff. "You started wailing on Blaine, who didn't even try to protect himself. You didn't ask Kurt what was going on in private before you took your anger out on them, and I'm actually kind of surprised that Kurt didn't break up with you right then and there."

Jeff's eyes widened, and he sat up (a little too quickly, he got dizzy). "You don't think he's actually going to-"

"I don't know, man. But you have got to figure out what you're going to do." Eric got up from his bed and grabbed some workout clothes from his dresser, and went into the bathroom. "I'm going to go for a run." He said when he came back out. "I'll see you in a little bit."

Jeff just sat there and watched Eric leave, the idea of Kurt breaking up with him floating in his head like a little pipe bomb, ready to explode and hurt him. Kurt wouldn't really break up with him, would he? He knew he had screwed up; he shouldn't have attacked Blaine, or jumped to conclusions. But he knew how Blaine felt, and knew that Kurt had felt that way at some point, too. Seeing them that morning, with their legs intertwined, holding each other's hands… The way Kurt curved in toward Blaine, almost like he was seeking him out in his sleep. He couldn't shake the feeling that he wasn't enough for Kurt, that he was just a replacement until Blaine had realized what he wanted.

"Ugh!" he groaned, even more pissed off than he had been before. He closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths, trying to calm down. It didn't really work, since images of Blaine and Kurt tangled together on the couch came flooding into his mind. Kurt's back had been facing him, and he could see where his shirt had ridden up to show the slight dimple above his right hip. Their legs were crossed, one on top of the other, and Jeff could see where their hands joined, touching both of their chests. Their heads were even tilted toward each other, and if they had moved just an inch or two closer… He didn't want to think about it anymore. He needed to just call Kurt and tell him how he felt about this, and find out what he wanted. Yeah. He was going to get this figured out. He grabbed his phone from his backpack and found Kurt's phone number. He was about to press 'send' when a new message flashed across the screen.

_Jeff, it's Simon. Dad left Mom, told her it wasn't fair to keep me in the closet to get into congress. Please call me, I need you right now. – Si_

Simon. His ex-boyfriend, the one he hadn't heard from (even though he was still a Dalton student) since they broke up. He couldn't bail on him now, not when he was actually needed. He'd call Kurt later.

* * *

**Blaine: so how are you?**

**Mia: I'm fine, I guess. Tired, but doing okay.**

**Blaine: did they get it all?**

**Mia: They think they did.**

**Blaine: what all did they do?**

**Mia: Well, they went in and took out my left ovary, and the fallopian tube that was attached. The tumor was small, really small, but it was on both.**

**Blaine: :(**

**Mia: I should be fine, don't worry. The doctors said I could still probably have kids, if everything turns out to be fine after chemo and everything.**

**Blaine: Good. I need nieces and nephews, and I don't want to wait for Jamie.**

**Mia: You could always just go have kids of your own, you know. Obviously not right now, you're in high school and not sleeping with girls (I hope), but later on, yeah.**

**Blaine: Ew. Just… ew.**

**Mia: :D**

**Blaine: how's Paul?**

**Mia: He's doing okay. He's more stressed than I am, lol. I keep telling him to go hang out with his friends, or go do something. There's not much I can do here in the hospital, and I'm here for at least a few more days.**

**Blaine: I doubt he'd be able to go do anything without feeling guilty for leaving you alone there, even though you're telling him to.**

**Mia: yeah, yeah. I know. I just hate seeing him like this, he feels so helpless, and there's nothing I can do.**

**Blaine: he probably feels the same.**

**Mia: Ture.**

**Mia: True***

**Mia: Sorry, I'm a little out of it right now. They've got me so pumped full of drugs right now… whoo. I haven't felt this high since that party I threw junior year. ;)**

**Blaine: Wow…**

**Mia: Hey, that party **_**rocked**_**. I don't remember much of it but still. **_**Rocked**_**.**

**Blaine: I'm so glad we were all out of town when that happened. You got in so much trouble. That's why I would never throw a party like that.**

**Mia: I was grounded for the rest of that school year. And that was a homecoming party! Ugh. That year sucked. At least your junior year seems better than mine.**

**Blaine: eh. I'm just happy it's almost over.**

**Mia: ?**

**Blaine: don't wanna talk about it.**

**Mia: tell me.**

**Mia: tell me. TELL ME TELL ME TELL ME TELL ME**

**Blaine: holy cow, fine.**

**Mia: you know you love me.**

**Blaine: uh huh.**

**Mia: Are you going to tell me or do I have to call you?**

**Blaine: please don't. you're not allowed to be on your cell in a hospital, anyway.**

**Mia: then start typing, little brother.**

**Blaine: Ugh. Fine. I kind of got my ass kicked a little today.**

**Mia: …**

**Blaine: by Jeff. Kurt's boyfriend.**

**Mia: OOOOOH! (you okay?) OOOOOH!**

**Blaine: you're such a brat sometimes.**

**Mia: Me? I'm innocent. But seriously, you okay?**

**Blaine: yeah, just a swollen jaw and a bit of a pain in my side. He punched me in the stomach and kicked me in the side, too.**

**Mia: did you hit him back?**

**Blaine: no. I didn't want to fight in front of Kurt, he doesn't do well with violence.**

**Mia: but it was okay for Jeff ot hit you?**

**Mia: to***

**Blaine: no. But I still wasn't going to fight in front of him, he already didn't like what was going on.**

**Mia: why did he attack you?**

**Blaine: don't freak.**

**Mia: I won't.**

**Blaine: promise.**

**Mia: I promise.**

**Blaine: … I sort of slept with Kurt last night.**

**Mia: ….. o.O**

**Mia: did you at least use protection?**

**Blaine: NO! Not like that! Oh, god. No, no, not like that at all. We fell asleep on the couch together, we didn't… no.**

**Mia: I wondered.**

**Mia: but you want to do that with him, right?**

**Blaine: I'm getting offline now. Love you.**

**Mia: BUT YOU WAAAAAANT KURT, DON'T YOU? IF YOU WERE A GIRL YOU'D HAVE HIS BAAAAABBBBIIIIIEEEEEESSS!**

_**Blaine has logged off**_

**Mia: hehe.**

* * *

"Dude."

"I know."

"Dude." David repeated.

"Yup." Wes sat next to David on his bed. David's roommate was gone, so Wes thought now was a good time to fill in his friend. Jeff attacking Blaine that morning made things a little more real to him, and he had realized just how much could go wrong now.

"Wow." David's eyes were wide. "You're not just shitting me, are you?"

"Uh, no." Wes rolled his eyes. "You can't tell anyone."

"Uh huh." David nodded.

"I'm serious. Don't say anything to anyone."

"I won't, Wes. I know how pissed off Jeff would be if he knew, so I'll keep quiet." David wasn't surprised that Blaine and Kurt had almost kissed; the unresolved sexual tension between them was so thick you could cut it with a knife, but he was surprised that it took so long.

"What do you think is going to happen?" Wes asked quietly.

"No idea. But I think it's safe to say that someone's going to get hurt."

* * *

**Jeff**

**pros**

**- sweet**

**- blonde**

**- gorgeous eyes**

**- nice body**

**- funny**

**- not afraid of PDA**

**- likes me**

**- nice voice**

**- great kisser**

**- decent movie taste**

**- kick ass car/knows cars**

**- same height as me**

**cons**

**- seems to have hormones on overdrive (maybe a pro?)**

**- doesn't like Blaine**

**- gets jealous easily**

**- doesn't know what the real world is like (sheltered)**

**Blaine**

**pros**

**- smart**

**- funny**

**- shorter than me**

**- amazing singing voice**

**- knows my coffee order**

**- there for me at the beginning**

**- knows my family**

**- gets along with Finn (how?)**

**- Dad likes him**

**- tries to include me with his friends**

**- adorable hair (w/out gel)**

**- can always make me smile**

**- knows all the great Disney songs**

**- can play guitar**

**- can play piano**

**- loves Broadway as much as I do**

**- never dated anyone**

**- good cuddler**

**cons**

**- took him forever to tell me he liked me**

**- always thinks he's right**

**- likes football**

**- is obsessed with Katy Perry**

**- can be snobby**

* * *

That Tuesday had been exhausting for everyone, especially rehearsal. Kurt had gone straight from Warbler's Hall to his dorm, and when Nick had gone up a few hours later, Kurt was already passed out on his bed.

Nick knew he shouldn't have looked at Kurt's notebook. He had fallen asleep with a pencil in his hand and a small Moleskine notebook open on his lap, and he was just being a good roommate and putting it away so he could sleep. He couldn't help but look though, when he saw Jeff's name at the top of the page. It was obviously a pros and cons list, probably to help Kurt figure out what he wanted. Nick noticed that it seemed like Blaine had a lot more pros than Jeff, though. He smiled, and knew what he could do.

* * *

"Morning, Blaine." Nick walked up to him outside his pre-calc classroom. He had to be on the other side of the building for his first period French class, but he needed to talk to Blaine.

"Hey, what's up?" Blaine looked a little confused. "Don't you have French with Kurt first hour? Like, on the other side of the building?"

"Yeah, but I have time. Listen, there's something I think you need to know."

"What's that?" he was a little wary; he knew that Nick's best friend was Eric, who was Jeff's roommate. He really hoped Jeff wasn't planning on beating him up, because his jaw was just starting to feel normal again.

"I think you have a real shot with Kurt." Nick blurted out.

Blaine just stared at him.

"Hear me out, okay? This isn't some sort of trick or anything, I'm being serious. I can't tell you exactly how I know, but I do. I don't know if you can do anything to make Kurt choose you, but I think you have a chance to be with him."

"How on earth do you know this?" Blaine asked. "And how do I really know you're not just screwing with me?" the last thing he needed was a mind game.

"Because Kurt is my roommate, and I'm looking out for him on this. I know he likes you, he still does, and I think you might be able to make him happier than Jeff. Don't say anything to anyone, but, yeah." Nick looked around, hoping no one had heard him.

"Nick?" Blaine asked.

"Yeah?"

"Go to class." Blaine didn't sound angry, just tired.

"Okay. But think about what I said, okay? Don't talk to Jeff, and don't go straight to Kurt. Wait for him. You know how he is, I imagine he'll say something to you soon enough." Nick smiled, then turned around and started to jog down the hall.

"Alright, then." Blaine shook his head and walked into the classroom, thinking about what Nick had just told him. It didn't really make any sense, and he _was_ rambling a bit, but from what Blaine could tell, it looked like maybe Kurt still had feelings for him. Maybe there was hope for him after all.

* * *

"Where were you?" Kurt hissed at Nick as he came running into the classroom. Class had just started, and their teacher was handing out study guides for the test in two days.

"Sorry, I had to talk to Eric." He whispered after he sat down in the chair behind Kurt.

Kurt rolled his eyes. "You two are attached at the damn hip, I swear. You're worse than David and Wes."

"Monsieur Hummel, quiet please." Madame Moreau scolded him. "And Monsieur Lane, you are not to be late again. Understood?"

"Understood, Madame." Nick said quietly. She allowed them to break into partners to do the study guides, and told them they would spend that day and Thursday working on them in preparation for the test. As usual, Nick and Kurt pulled their desks together to work.

"So, you doing okay?" Nick asked.

Kurt raised an eyebrow, then rolled his eyes. "I'm fine, Nick. Can we focus on conjugating verbs, please?"

"Yeah, yeah. I just, I wanted to make sure you were doing okay. If you need to talk or anything, you can talk to me." He kept his voice low.

Kurt looked over at his roommate, and saw the concern on his face. "I know, Nick. Thank you." He smiled, then started on their first question.

* * *

"You did better tonight, guys. Much better." Thad smiled after Thursday's rehearsal. "Eric, can you ask Jeff if he can stay later tomorrow to go over his part?" Eric nodded. "Tell him we missed him today." Jeff had skipped rehearsal, telling Thad he felt sick.

Everyone filed out into the hall, Kurt pointedly ignoring Blaine when he tried to get his attention and walk with him. He knew he should probably talk to him, but he really didn't want to right then. He needed to talk to Jeff first, and hopefully figure out what to do. He heard Wes and David call Blaine, and was grateful that he didn't follow.

He walked a little faster than he usually did; he wanted to get to Jeff's room before Eric, so he could have the chance to talk to him in private. Soon enough, he was standing outside Jeff's door. He was about to knock when he noticed the door wasn't shut all the way.

"Simon, you know I'm with Kurt." He heard Jeff's voice coming from inside the room. Was he on the phone? Kurt just stood there, not sure if he should go in or not.

"I know, Jeff, but how long have you been with him? A month? A month and a half? You guys haven't been together that long, and you're already fighting." Kurt heard a voice he didn't recognize.

"I care about him."

"Do you love him?" the other one asked.

"Simon…"

"Do you love him? Because I know you loved me." Wait. Simon? As in Jeff's ex, Simon? Kurt felt his stomach drop, and leaned in closer to listen.

"I don't know yet. I really care about him, though." Jeff sounded a little hesitant. Did he really care about him that much, or was Kurt reading too much into it?

"Jeff, I know you. I know how you are. I know that this thing with you and Kurt and Blaine is getting to you. I know you're not sure if you love him, but here's another question. Does he love you?" Did he? True, Kurt wasn't too educated about what 'love' was; he thought he had been in love with Finn Hudson, for Gaga's sake.

"I don't know." Kurt heard Jeff answer.

"Have you asked him?"

"No, Simon, I haven't. How the hell do you expect me to ask that, especially now?" Jeff sounded angry.

"You need to ask him, and yes, especially now. You said it yourself, Blaine likes him. Blaine likes him a _lot_, and unless you do something, he'll choose Blaine."

"I want to be with him." Kurt smiled.

"But I want to be with _you_." The smile faded fast.

"Si, I don't-"

"Shut up. We were each other's _everything_. I loved you. You loved me. Dammit, Jeff, we need to talk about this before Kurt makes a decision."

Kurt backed away from the door, not wanting to hear anything else. The Simon that was inside the room had to be Jeff's ex-boyfriend. Jeff had told him about their relationship; about what they were like. Kurt knew that they had lost their virginities to each other, and he knew that was a big deal. He didn't know if that bond was still there, and he was a little afraid to find out. Kurt was so focused on getting to his room and finding a pillow to cry into when he slammed into something solid and warm.

"Kurt?" Blaine asked, alarmed at the look in the taller boy's eyes. "Kurt, look at me." He grabbed his arms, trying to make him pay attention.

"I gotta go, Blaine. I'm sorry." Kurt shook himself free from Blaine's grasp and stumbled the few doors down to his room.

Blaine watched him go, confused as ever. What was wrong now? He was sure he saw tears in his eyes, and it looked like he had come from Jeff's room. Blaine was worried now, had Jeff broken up with Kurt? What had he said to hurt him? He made a decision; he was going to deal with Jeff. No one hurt Kurt and got away with it.

He got to Jeff's door and was about to barge in when he heard a familiar voice, Simon Clark.

"I miss you."

"Si, I can't do this right now." Jeff sounded stressed.

"Screw Hummel! Screw him, Jeff, this isn't about him at all. This is about you, and me, and what we had. What we could have _again_!"

"I'm not going to break up with him just to see what could happen with us! You decided to listen to your mother and go back in the damn closet, pretend you were straight. Kurt's not like that, okay? He's not ashamed to be seen with me. He's not ashamed to hold my hand or kiss me in front of other people." Jeff was almost yelling.

"I was _never_ ashamed!" Simon shouted. Blaine moved a little farther away from the door; he didn't want to get caught. "That was all my mom, Jeff. My fucking mom." He heard Simon take a deep breath. "She threatened to pull me out of Dalton if I didn't do what she wanted. She was going to take away everything I had. I would have done anything to just be with you, but she would have taken me out of Dalton and moved me to some boarding school in some other country, and I'd rather be here and fake being straight and get to see you _every day_ than go somewhere else and never see you again." Blaine shook his head. Simon and Jeff dated? When? And since when was Simon gay? Blaine's gaydar had gone off around him before, but Simon always had a girlfriend. Well, his mother _was_ an extremely conservative congresswoman, but-

"You never even talk to me." Jeff sounded hurt.

"I couldn't. It was too hard. Every time I saw you, I wanted to touch you, kiss you, just _be_ with you. It would have been so much worse if I had actually talked to you."

Blaine couldn't listen to anything else. He turned around and made his way to Kurt's room. He had to be there for Kurt right now, as a friend. He must have heard Simon and Jeff talking, and that's why he had ran off.

He knocked on Kurt's door, then waited for a response.

"Come in." he stepped inside. "Blaine, what-"

"Are you okay?" Blaine shut the door behind him and walked over to the boy curled up on his bed.

"What are you doing here? I thought I asked you to leave me alone?" Kurt was obviously upset, and it looked like Blaine wasn't making anything better.

"Something's wrong, and you're crying. Did you expect me to leave you alone?" Blaine walked over to Kurt's bed and sat down next to him. "If you want me to go, I will, but I know you heard something in Jeff's room."

"How did you-" Kurt sat up a little.

"I heard them talking. They weren't exactly quiet." Blaine sighed, pleased that Kurt hadn't kicked him out yet. "What did you hear?" he asked.

"I heard Jeff. And his ex-boyfriend." Blaine was surprised, Simon and Jeff really had dated. "I think Simon still likes him. He was asking Jeff if he loved me, and…" he trailed off, getting a little uncomfortable. "I shouldn't be talking to you about this. You are the _last_ person I should be talking to about this." He looked away from Blaine.

"I heard them, too. I listened to them after you left." Blaine admitted, feeling a little guilty.

"What? What did you hear?" Kurt turned back, suddenly interested.

"Do you really want me to tell you that, Kurt? Maybe you should go straight to Jeff and find out from him before you talk to me."

"No, tell me. I'll go to him later, but I want to hear what you heard. You won't lie to me." Blaine raised his eyebrows. "Not that Jeff would, but he might not tell me everything." Kurt explained hurriedly.

"You'll talk to him? After I tell you?" Blaine wanted to make sure Kurt would hear what Jeff had to say; he may want Kurt for himself, but he wanted Kurt happy more than that. If Kurt made his decision based on what Blaine told him, and Blaine didn't have all the facts, it could make everyone's life a living hell.

"Yes, I'll talk to him. Now tell me what you heard." Kurt sat up and crossed his legs under him, wanting to hear everything.

"Okay, Kurt. But then you have to talk to Jeff, because I can't give you any more information than a conversation I heard." Kurt nodded eagerly, desperate for Blaine to start talking.

* * *

Kurt didn't know what to think. Blaine had just told him everything he heard Jeff and Simon say, and he even admitted that he had no idea that they had even dated. As far as anyone knew, the black-haired senior was straight.

"Kurt, you okay? You kinda zoned out for a minute there." Blaine waved his hand in front of his face, trying to get his attention.

"I'm fine. I just… I really think I should go talk to him now. I don't want him to think I'm going to break up with him or anything, I just needed time to think." Blaine felt a slight stab in his stomach. He wasn't going to break up with Jeff, he just needed time to deal with his jealousy.

"Yeah, yeah, you should talk to him. I'll walk you down there, I've got to go to my room and do homework anyway." Blaine put on his fake, dapper smile and stood up.

Kurt got up, too, and smoothed his blazer. "Thank you, Blaine. For telling me what you heard." He moved to reach his hand out and touch Blaine's shoulder, but thought better of it. "Let's go." His smile matched Blaine's.

The two boys left Kurt's room, shutting the door lightly behind them. They walked down the hall silently, keeping a careful distance, until they came to Jeff's room. Kurt was trying to quell the nervous feeling in his stomach, not made any better by the tension between he and Blaine.

"I'll see you later, Kurt." Blaine said quietly, his eyes meeting with Kurt's for a moment. "Call me if you need anything." There was a tone of defeat in his voice, like he had given up on something. Kurt wanted to ask him what was wrong, but he had to talk to Jeff. Blaine started walking toward his room, his back to Kurt, who moved his ear up against the door. He didn't hear anyone speaking, so he figured it was safe; Jeff was alone.

He pushed the door open, a small smile on his face. The room was dark, almost pitch black. He could barely see anything, except for a shape on Jeff's bed, but it didn't look like Jeff.

"Simon…" he heard the unmistakable voice of his boyfriend, moaning his ex's name. Kurt's eyes finally adjusted to the dark, revealing Jeff and Simon, both boys half-naked, hair mussed, and looking very much like he had interrupted something very intimate.

"J-Jeff?" Kurt choked over the name. He saw Jeff push Simon off of him, recognition in his face.

"Oh, god, Kurt, Kurt, I-" Jeff rushed toward him, and Kurt saw that not only was his shirt off, but his pants were undone. He stepped back and raised his hand, forcing Jeff to stop a few feet away.

"No." Kurt whispered.

"Kurt, baby, I-" he didn't get a chance to finish; Kurt spun on his heel and left the room, shutting the door behind him. He didn't even pay attention to where he was going, and the tears in his eyes that wouldn't fall were hindering his view.

"Kurt? Kurt, what's wrong?" he heard Blaine's voice, but it sounded so far away. He kept walking.

"Kurt? God, Kurt, what happened?" he felt Blaine's hands on his chest, stopping him from going any further. He opened his mouth to say something, but all that came out was a strangled cry. The next thing he knew, he was being pulled down the hall, Blaine guiding him as they went. He heard Blaine open a door, and he followed him into his dorm. A river of tears was making it's way down his pink cheeks, drifting down his neck into the stiff, starched collar of his standard-issue Dalton button-down. He closed his eyes, willing them to stop.

"Kurt, shh, you're okay. You're going to be okay. Just breathe, then tell me what happened, okay?" He could hear the worry and fear in Blaine's voice. He shook a little when he breathed in, but then he felt Blaine's hands on his cheeks, gently wiping away the tears. "Come sit down. Just relax."

He kept his eyes closed, and let Blaine lead him to his bed. He felt the soft mattress behind his knees, and sat down. He tried to speak, but a shaking sob interrupted him. He felt Blaine sit next to him; he felt him softly pull the blazer off, and undo his tie. He felt Blaine's callused fingers move over his shoelaces, and slide the expensive loafers off his feet. He let Blaine move him a little, letting him lie down on his bed. As soon as he was down, he curled up into a ball, his legs tight against his chest, his chin tucked in.

"I'm here, Kurt. Just tell me what happened." He heard Blaine's voice in his ear, felt his warm breath on his neck. Blaine had curled himself around the taller boy, one arm draped around his own, the other between them, rubbing slow circles into his back. "Whenever you're ready, I'm here."

They laid like that for a while. Wes came and went, leaving once he saw Kurt's slightly shaking body being held by Blaine. It wasn't until Blaine was sure that Kurt had to be asleep that he heard him speak.

"I think he was about to have sex with Simon, Blaine." Blaine's heart broke for him; he didn't deserve this. "I was just a stand-in."

Blaine felt his blood boil. "I'm so sorry, Kurt. I'm so sorry." He let his forehead rest on the back of Kurt's head, breathing in his smell. "You really don't deserve this."

Kurt was quiet, but he was no longer crying. "Blaine…"

"Hmm?"

"Thanks." He didn't say anything else, he just let Blaine hold him.

* * *

"Shit." Jeff was pacing.

"I'm sorry."

"Shut up." He snapped at Simon, who was lounging on his bed, his shirt still off.

"You know what you need to do, right?"

"I said 'shut up', so shut up." Jeff snapped. "I fucked up. I shouldn't have… we shouldn't have." He started pacing again.

Simon got up slowly, then reached for his shirt and tie on the floor. "I'm going to get dressed and go before Eric gets here. I imagine you don't want this to get more awkward." Jeff glared at him. He buttoned his shirt, slipped on his shoes, and draped his tie around his neck. Jeff was still pacing back and forth, running his hands through his hair, muttering under his breath, but he stopped when Simon cleared his throat.

"What?" he asked.

He moved closer to Jeff, and put his hands on his cheeks. "You need to break up with him. You can't salvage it, and I know you don't want to." Jeff opened his mouth to argue, but Simon spoke again. "I love you. I want to be with you. Call me once it's really over with you guys." He leaned forward and kissed him, their lips melting against one another, like they were meant to fit together.

Jeff couldn't form any words, but he gave Simon a sad smile as he left. He had to talk to Kurt, that much was obvious. Whether Kurt would listen to him or not, well, he'd find out.

* * *

"Fucking asshole."

"Please, calm down."

"No! That fucking hypocrite is the reason that Kurt's not here!" Puck growled, and slammed his fist into his bedroom door.

"Puck! Please!" Quinn pleaded with him from his bed, her hands gripping his quilted bedspread.

"I can't fucking believe that douchebag _kissed_ Kurt! And then fucking threatened to kill him?" Puck was angry, that much was apparent. "And I was just starting to like the kid." He went quiet.

"Come here." Quinn patted the bed next to her. He moved over, and flopped onto the bed. He laid back, his eyes closed. She copied his movements, only she used his firm chest as a pillow. "I know you miss Kurt. We all do."

"That assho-" she smacked his stomach, stopping him from saying anything else.

"Shh. I told you because I know you can't do anything about it. You're still on probation."

"And? Fuck probation, I'm gonna kill Karofsky." He spat, still pissed off.

"Puck, just, leave it for now, okay? And please, don't tell anyone else. I needed to confide in someone, that's it. We're not going to do anything, we're not going to say anything. Not until Kurt decides to tell us himself, okay?"

He'd never admit it, but he liked the way she felt in his arms, the way she smelled. He lied then, for her. "Whatever. I won't do anything." Yet. He felt her smile against his chest.

"Thank you, Noah."

What Quinn didn't know wouldn't hurt her; he'd deal with Karofsky, alright. He'd deal with him the way he _should_ have been dealt with to start with. He was going _down_.

* * *

**Next: Kurt goes home for some comfort, but there's no comfort to be found in Lima.**


	9. The Search

**A/N: Sorry about the huge delay, guys. I've got bronchitis, and have been really busy at work. This is a shorter chapter, but it's that way for a reason. Also… did anyone else flail like mad last night? I know I did. :D**

* * *

Morning came too soon for Kurt's liking, with the sun shining directly on his face. He rolled over and buried his face in a pillow, trying to get the offensive light away from his eyes. It only took a second for him to realize that the pillow wasn't his; it smelled like Blaine.

"Oh, crap." He muttered, then sat up slowly. He was in Blaine's bed, but Blaine was nowhere to be found. He heard the shower, though, so that must have been where he was. Kurt was still in his uniform, or at least the pants and shirt. He looked around and found his blazer (neatly folded) and tie on Blaine's nightstand, and his shoes on the floor. He could feel the salty, dry tear tracks on his face from the night before, and knew he had cried himself to sleep. He didn't remember taking off the blazer or shoes, though. He thought Blaine must have done it, so he wouldn't be too uncomfortable. At the thought of Blaine, his stomach gave him a quick jolt. He had fallen asleep with Blaine, _again_. He really needed to put a stop to that, since it seemed to be getting him into more and more trouble.

A loud snore shook him out of his thoughts, and he glanced over at the other bed in the room. Wes was sprawled out on top of his covers, Spiderman pajamas twisted, and his mouth wide open. Kurt laughed a little, Wes really was a 5-year-old. He noticed something in one of his ears, though, something hot pink. He squinted a little, and saw that they were earplugs, much like the purple ones that Kurt owned. He remembered that Blaine snored, too, then smiled a little at the thought of Blaine snoring; a cute but still mildly annoying sound.

Kurt glanced at the glowing green clock on Blaine's nightstand: **6:03**.

"Damn it." He muttered. He slid out of the comfortable bed, laughing a little at the colors Blaine had used (blue pillows, green comforter, gray sheets), then quietly put the rest of his clothes back on. He scribbled a quick note to Blaine on the notepad he kept by his bed (what teenage boy does that?), then left the comfort of the room.

* * *

_Blaine  
Thanks for being there for me last night, I appreciate it. I don't really know what else to say (or write, I guess), I'm still trying to figure out what happened, and how I feel about it. I'm not sure if I'm going to rehearsal tonight, but if I don't, I'll see you on Monday.  
- Kurt_

Blaine read the note Kurt had left on his pillow, and tried to fight the worried feeling in the pit of his stomach. Kurt was hurting, that much was obvious, but Blaine felt like there was more to it than Jeff and Simon. He set the note back down and got dressed quickly, hoping he'd get the chance to talk to Kurt before rehearsal that day. He wanted to make sure he'd be okay, even though deep down, Blaine knew he wouldn't be.

* * *

"Whoa, dude, where were you last night?" Nick asked as Kurt stepped into their room. Nick was sitting up in his bed, looking like he hadn't gotten much sleep.

Kurt sighed, and started to answer as he walked over to the closet, thankful he had more than one uniform. "I was at Blaine's. Sorry I didn't text you or anything, but some… things happened last night and I didn't mean to not come back."

Nick looked confused. "What things? Everything okay?"

"Nick, not right now. I just need to take a shower, and then we need to leave, we've got the French test today." Kurt pulled a new shirt, pants, and blazer from the closet, and picked up a new undershirt and boxers from his dresser.

"Don't remind me." Nick rolled his eyes and flopped back onto the bed, pulling the covers over his head.

"Too bad." Kurt walked into their bathroom, focused on getting ready for the day. He didn't want to think about _anything_ from the night before; not Jeff, not Simon, and not how it felt to fall asleep in Blaine's arms. Definitely not that.

* * *

_Kurt, please. We need to talk. I'm so, so sorry, but I can't explain myself thru text. Please, __**please**__ call me. – jeff_

The hand that was holding his iPhone shook a little at the sight of the message. The only thing stopping him from throwing it across the hall was the fact that it was a birthday present from his father. A second later, Jeff's message was replaced with a new one.

_Hey. – b_

Well at least Blaine's message seemed a little more normal. He messaged back.

_Hey yourself. – k_

Kurt didn't have the greatest texting/walking coordination, so he sat down in one of the benches lining the hall. He still had a few minutes until he had to be in his fourth hour drawing class, and it was just a couple doors down from where he was; he had time.

_How was the French test? – b_

_I'm practically fluent, Blaine. How do you think it went? – k_

_Well, you're definitely not humble, lol. – b_

_Nope. – k_

_So, do you want to get lunch off campus today? We can go to this great place I found a little while ago. – b_

Kurt thought about it for a moment. Thanks to the fact that the entire school had just one hour-long lunch, that meant there was a pretty good chance that Jeff would go looking for him, and Kurt wasn't sure he wanted to face him just yet. He was about to text Blaine back when his phone showed a new message.

_It's called Little Bits, and their Caesar salads are wicked. – b_

He felt his stomach do a nasty turn.

_Not today, sorry. I'm not really feeling hungry. Thanks, though. I'll ttyl. – k_

He felt bad for turning Blaine down, but he didn't think he could handle going to that restaurant. Blaine was right, their food was great, and he really did like the place; he just didn't want to deal with anything that had to do with Jeff.

_No problem. I'll see you at Warblers tonight. :) – b_

Warblers. He couldn't avoid Jeff there. Crap.

* * *

"Sorry, guys, I'm just not feeling well. I'm heading out in a minute, once I'm done packing." Kurt had his phone cradled between his ear and shoulder, and was trying to close his suitcase.

"Kurt, I know we're not going to Nationals, but we still need you here for rehearsals." Wes sounded irritated with him.

"I get that, Wes, I really do. I just feel like hell right now, okay?" he tried to keep his voice even, but Wes was making it difficult.

"Don't worry, Kurt. Wes, chill." He heard David's voice. "We'll be fine, you go home and feel better. We'll see you Monday."

"But David!" Wes started.

"Goodbye, Kurt." David took the phone from his friend and ended the call.

Kurt let his phone drop onto the bed, and finally closed the stuffed suitcase. He had already changed out of his Dalton uniform, and was now wearing his favorite pair of black skinnies, green Converse, and the charcoal gray Lacoste sweater he had bought during a Gilt Groupe shopping spree. He ran a hand through his hair, not really caring anymore about how it looked.

It was strange, just how little he cared about anything that day. He knew that people had been talking about him; he heard the whispers. He didn't think anyone really knew about what happened with Jeff, but they all knew something was wrong. Everyone had spoken in hushed tones to him, keeping their voices low. He had even heard one freshman remark to another that 'that Kurt guy looks like a zombie' when he had passed them on the way to his dorm room during lunch. Usually, he would have turned around and made a smart-ass retort, but he hadn't felt like it. Now that school was out, he just wanted to go home. Maybe spending the night in his own room, surrounded by his dad and new family, then the rest of the weekend with Mercedes would make him feel a little better. He could only hope.

* * *

"You doing okay there, Kurt?" Carole asked as she passed the bowl full of mashed potatoes to Finn.

"Hmm? Oh, yeah. I'm fine." He smiled a little and took a drink of his Diet Coke. The Friday night dinners were nice; he had to admit that he liked having Carole and Finn there now. This was the family he had never had, but always wanted. He'd always miss his mother, but Carole and Finn were both important to him now.

"Dude, you look like you're sick. You sure you're okay?" Finn had a mouth full of food, but that didn't stop him from speaking.

"Finn…" Burt started to scold him for talking with his mouth full.

"Seriously guys, I'm okay. I'm just tired, alright? This has been a long week." He tried to focus on his food, hoping dinner would go faster.

"If you're sick, Kurt, Carole and I can stay home tonight." Burt looked at his son, his concern was obvious.

"No, Dad, don't worry about me. You've been looking forward to this forever, I'll be fine." His parents (it was getting easier to call Carole his parent) had an awards ceremony in Findlay to go to; Carole was receiving an award for her services at the hospital.

"Kurt, it's not a big deal. If you want us to-"

"Please, Carole, it's important to me that you go and get your award, okay? That's what I want." He smiled one of the fake smiles he learned from years of lying about his feelings. Part of him really did want his dad to stay home and comfort him, but a larger part didn't want to involve him at all.

"If that's what you want honey, then that's what we'll do." Carole smiled at him, and set her hand on top of one of his. "You're such a great kid."

"Thank you, guys." He smiled again, hoping they would finally drop it.

* * *

"You're not fooling me, Kurt." Finn was standing in Kurt's open doorway, as tall as ever.

"Excuse me?" he looked up from his copy of the Two Towers and stared at his stepbrother.

"You heard me. Mom and Burt might think you're fine, but I know you're lying."

"I'm not. Now if you don't mind, I need to get this reading done for a quiz on Monday. Shut the door behind you." He knew he didn't need to sound so rude, but it really wasn't any of Finn's business what was going on.

"Alright." He sighed. "But if you want to talk, I'm here. You know that, right?"

"Yes, Finn." Kurt answered.

"Well, Puck's gonna be here in a few minutes. I'm going bowling with the guys tonight. Do you wanna come?" he hoped Kurt would say yes; he didn't like the idea of Kurt being cooped up in the house alone, not when he was acting like that.

"Not tonight, Finn. I've got to finish this reading. I'll see you when you get home." He turned back to his book, and hoped Finn would get the idea and leave.

"Alright. I'll text you when we're on our way back." He was about to say more, but thought better of it. "See you." He left Kurt's room, and shut the door like he was asked. He didn't know what was up with his stepbrother, but if it had anything to do with his boyfriend, Finn was prepared to kick his ass.

* * *

"I just don't get it dude, you're in a wheelchair! How can you possibly be beating everyone here?" Mike asked Artie, who had just bowled his 7th strike in a row.

"I used to go to my mom's bowling league with her all the time. I learned how to bowl there." Artie smiled, and rolled himself back to the other guys. "Sam, you're up."

"Watch the master at work, boys." Sam grinned and made his way over to the lane.

"Yo, Finn. Come here for a second." Puck motioned for Finn to follow him over to the double doors that led outside. Finn got up from his seat and walked over to his friend.

"What's up?" he asked, as Puck held the door open for them to walk outside.

"You talk to your brother lately?" Finn nodded his head, not bothering to correct Puck. Kurt _was_ basically his brother now, no reason not to call him that.

"He seems a little off today. He didn't even say anything about my vest tonight." Finn was wearing his awful green puffer vest, the one Kurt hated with a passion. Finn had stopped him (more than once) in the process of trying to burn it. The little burn marks didn't even bother him. Puck nodded a little, almost to himself. "Why? What's up?"

Puck waited for a second, unsure of whether or not he really should say anything. Quinn had begged him not to, and he _had_ promised her. While he really wanted to take care of Karofsky himself, he knew that he'd end up back in juvie, and then everyone would be pissed at him for not being able to go to Nationals.

"Puck, dude, we've gotta get back in there. It's probably your turn." Finn looked a little uncomfortable, and he wasn't sure what was going on. He put his hand on the door handle to go back inside, but stopped when Puck started talking.

"Karofsky kissed Kurt." it was so quiet, Finn didn't think he heard right.

"… What?" he turned around, confused.

"That's why he threatened to kill him. Karofsky's gay, that's why he kissed Kurt, and that's why he told him he'd kill him if he told anyone. He doesn't want anyone to know."

Finn's hand dropped to his side, and his jaw was slack. "How do you know?"

"Doesn't matter, but it's true. I was going to take care of Karofsky myself, but-"

"No. I'll deal with this." Finn's eyes were wide, and Puck could tell he was pissed off.

"We can go find him now, let me just go tell the guys-"

"We're not involving them. Just take me home, I've gotta talk to Kurt. I need him to tell me to my face what happened." Finn started walking toward Puck's beat-up Pinto, but Puck stopped him.

"My keys are inside. Let me go tell them you're sick or something, I'll be right back." Finn nodded, and watched Puck go inside. He needed to talk to Kurt, needed to know that this was the truth. Then he'd get the guys together and take care of Karofsky. Less than a minute later, Puck ran back outside and they ran to his car. Neither one of them noticed the football player who had stopped just around the corner. He couldn't believe what he was hearing.

* * *

"Call me if you need anything, man. Good luck."

"Thanks." Finn got out of Puck's car, and walked to the front door. He unlocked it and went inside, hoping that Kurt would be willing to talk to him.

Once he got to Kurt's bedroom door, he knocked.

"Finn?" he heard Kurt's voice from inside. It sounded weird, almost like he had been crying.

"Yeah, Kurt, it's me. Open up, we need to talk."

"Not now, Finn, I don't feel good."

Finn ignored him, and tried to turn the doorknob; it was locked.

"Let me in, Kurt! This is serious, you need to talk to me." Finn yelled. He didn't want to raise his voice, but this was a big deal; he had to know what really happened. He waited for Kurt to say something, or unlock the door, but he did neither. "Dammit Kurt! Let me in!" he yelled louder.

"Back off, Finn!" Kurt yelled back, with more force than Finn expected.

He closed his eyes and tried to calm down. He knew Burt had keys to all the rooms in the house, and he kept them somewhere in the kitchen. Finn ran down the stairs and started opening all the drawers, searching for Kurt's room key. He finally found it in the drawer that held the spare tool kit. Within seconds, he was back upstairs, trying to quietly unlock the door.

"Finn!" Kurt shrieked when the door swung open. He was sitting on his bed, holding a pillow close to his chest, and Finn could see the wet tear tracks on his face.

"You need to talk to me, Kurt. I need you to tell me if something happened." Finn walked over to him, his hands in the air, almost like he was surrendering.

"What the hell, Finn?" Kurt yelled again. "You break into my damn _room_ and expect me to start talking to you? I told you I was fine! I told you I didn't want to talk to you! What the hell do you even _want_?"

Finn yelled back even louder. "DID KAROFSKY KISS YOU?" he was surprised at how forceful he sounded.

Kurt's face blanched, and he dropped the pillow. "What?" his voice was barely a whisper.

"Did he?" Finn lowered his voice. "Kurt, please, tell me. I'm your brother now, you can trust me. Just tell me if he kissed you."

Kurt stared up at Finn, shock on his face. How did he know? Who told him? Did Karofsky say something? He was brought back to reality when Finn grabbed his shoulders.

"Kurt?" Finn pled. He just wanted Kurt to tell him the truth.

Kurt pushed Finn away, and jumped off of his bed. He didn't say anything, he just grabbed his car keys and cell phone from his desk, and ran out of the room. He heard Finn yelling after him, begging him to come back and talk, but he couldn't. He needed to get out, needed to leave. Too many things were going wrong now, between Jeff, Simon, Blaine, Karofsky… He ran out the front door and got to his Navigator. He saw Finn standing on the front step as he backed out of the driveway, sadness and fear etched across his face. Kurt looked away and sped down the street, intent on getting out of Lima. Nothing good was there for him, anyway.

* * *

"Hello?" Blaine didn't recognize the number that was calling him. It was already 8:30 at night, and he wasn't expecting a call from anyone.

"Hey, is this Blaine?" he heard a voice he recognized.

"Uh, yes, it is. Is this-"

"Finn, Kurt's brother." He knew he recognized the voice. Finn sounded upset, though; he wondered what was going on.

"Is everything okay?" Blaine asked.

"No, Kurt bolted out of here just now, I have no clue where he's going."

"What happened?" Blaine sat up straight in his desk chair (he was staying the weekend at Dalton again), worried about Kurt.

"I need to ask you a question, and I need you to really answer it, Blaine. This is serious."

"What?" his heart was pounding out of his chest; where did Kurt go? What was wrong?

"Did Karofsky kiss my brother?" Blaine hadn't expected that.

"Did what?"

"Did he? Blaine, I gotta know. I was trying to ask him, and he freaked out and left. I know you guys are close, did he tell you anything about a kiss?"

As much as he wanted to tell Finn that yes, the kiss had happened, he knew it wasn't his place.

"I can't tell you that, Finn, that's something you have to talk to Kurt about."

"I was trying to, _dammit_! But he took off, Blaine, and now I don't know where he is. He won't answer his phone, and I just don't know!" Blaine could hear Finn's voice break at the end, and knew that he had probably started crying.

"Finn, I don't know where he'd go, but I'll try calling him. He might pick up for me."

"Should I call that Jeff kid, his boyfriend? Do you think he'd go to Jeff's?" Blaine realized that Kurt hadn't told his family anything.

"No, no, he wouldn't. Just, try to calm down, and start thinking of places that Kurt might go to when he's upset. I'll call him, okay? I'm leaving Dalton now. If you don't find him and I can't get a hold of him, we'll go looking for him when I get there, alright?"

"Yeah, yeah, that works. Should I call his dad?" Finn wasn't sure if he should or not.

"No, not until we know what's going on. If we can't find him, then call Burt. I'm leaving now, Finn, I'll call you as soon as I hear anything." He hung up on Finn, and ran out the door; keys in hand. He knew he probably looked like a madman at that moment; running down the stairs with his freshly washed hair flopping all over the place, his running sneakers untied, and his matching Ohio State sweats and t-shirt both wrinkled all to hell. At that moment, though, he didn't care; he just wanted to find Kurt.

* * *

_I wanna see your peacock, cock, cock, your peacock, cock_

_Your peacock, cock, cock, your peacock_

Kurt heard Blaine's ringtone start blasting from his phone. The phone was sitting in the cup holder, and had been ringing non-stop with both Blaine and Finn's numbers popping up. Jesse's Girl was a good song, but hearing it over and over got irritating. His phone stopped ringing, and Kurt felt a wave of relief wash over him; maybe everyone would leave him alone and let him sort everything out.

_I wanna see your peacock, cock, cock, your peacock, cock_

Maybe not. He was tempted to answer it, to hear Blaine's voice, and listen to his advice. He reached out to pick it up when he heard a low _ding_ and an automated voice say '_low on gasoline'_. He looked at his gas gauge, and sure enough, it was almost on **E**.

"Shit." He muttered. He had an idea of where he was; about 8 miles away from the cemetery where his mom was buried. He knew there was a gas station around the next corner. It wasn't nice, and truth be told, it creeped him out a little to go there after dark, but he wouldn't make it back to Lima without any more gas.

_I wanna see your peacock, cock, cock, your peacock, cock_

Blaine really didn't give up, did he? He decided to answer, if only to calm Blaine down.

"What?" he snapped as he answered.

"Kurt, Jesus Christ, where the hell are you?" Blaine sounded pissed.

"Driving, Blaine. What's your problem?" Kurt demanded.

"I'm sorry I snapped, okay, but Finn and I have been trying to get a hold of you for over an hour. Where are you?" Blaine's voice was softer, and Kurt could hear his car running in the background.

"Are you driving, Blaine?" he asked. He turned on his signal when he saw the little gas station up ahead.

"Yeah, I'm looking for you." Blaine sighed. "Finn is really worried, Kurt, and so am I. Can you just tell me where you are?"

"I'm stopping to get gas right now, I'm almost out." He pulled in, and parked next to a rusted pump.

"Which station?" Blaine asked. He wanted to find Kurt as soon as he could.

"Um, it's the one a few miles west of Bellefontaine, a little ways away from the cemetery." His voice was quiet. He hadn't meant to admit to Blaine that he was going to his mother's grave.

"Oh, Kurt." Blaine knew where he was going. "Can you just stay there? I'm just 10 miles away from you, just stay where you are. Text me the address and I'll be right over."

"Blaine, no, I'm fine, I'm just going to get gas and then stop by-" he was interrupted.

"I'm on my way. I'm going to call Finn so he can stop freaking out, but just stay there, okay? I'll be there as soon as I can."

Kurt let out a sigh. "Fine. Call me when you're close."

"I will. See you soon." Blaine ended the call, and Kurt tried to read the faded numbers on the front of the tiny building. He quickly sent Blaine the address, then hopped out of the Navigator to fill it with gas. He pulled his wallet out of his pocket and was going to swipe his debit card, but of course there wasn't a card reader on the pumps; that would be too easy. He groaned in frustration and made his way inside the store. The man behind the register was definitely older than his dad, and had about as many teeth as a 3-year-old. The store smelled like tobacco and piss, and he wanted to get out of there as fast as he could. Kurt handed the clerk his card and waited while he punched in the transaction. He tried to ignore the leer the man gave him when he handed Kurt back his card, then practically ran back out to his SUV.

He shivered a little at the cold air while he started gassing up the car. It may have been the middle of April, but it was still Ohio. The dark sky seemed even darker, especially once Kurt saw the gray/black storm clouds overhead. He didn't want to get stuck out in the oncoming storm, so he hoped Blaine would hurry.

A loud _bang_ of an engine backfiring caught his attention, and he saw an old red and white truck pull into the gas station. He thought he recognized the person behind the wheel, but there was no way that he'd be out there, an hour away from Lima. He turned his attention back to the gas pump, willing it to go faster. He hoped that Blaine would be there soon, so they could get back to civilization.

Kurt heard the door to the store open and shut, and he saw a flash of red. His stomach dropped, and he could hear his heart pounding in his ears. It wasn't…

"Hummel?"

* * *

"Oh, thank god, dude. Thank you so much. Are you on your way over there?" Finn dropped to the couch, beyond grateful for Blaine.

"Yeah. I'm almost there. I'll follow him back to your place, then I'll talk to him."

"I need to talk to him fir-"

"Finn, he's really pissed off at you right now. I don't think pushing him to talk to you is going to help. Let me get him to open up and then we can talk to him together, okay? You know how he is." Blaine sounded sure of himself.

Finn sighed. "Okay. Just, just get my brother home safe, okay? Mom and Burt are staying overnight in Findlay, so if you need to you can stay over. Just get here fast."

"I'll call you once I get there."  
"Bye." Finn hung up, hoping Kurt would be okay.

* * *

"W-What are you doing here?" Kurt tried to keep his voice steady, but with the large football player stalking toward him, it was increasingly difficult.

"Got a phone call. Got pissed off. Took a drive to cool down. Didn't think I'd see you out here. Aren't you at that fag school now?" Karofsky's voice was deep and rough, and it petrified Kurt.

"I'm at Dalton." He was stepping backwards, trying to get his keys out of his back pocket without making a sound. He watched Karofsky take the gas pump out of his car and place it back on the hook gently, then keep walking toward him.

"Do you want to know what that phone call was about?" He asked, his eyes boring holes into Kurt's skin. Kurt wanted to scream and run and flail, but with the way he was parked, the man in the store wouldn't have noticed. Truth be told, Kurt didn't think he'd care.

"No." he took another step back.

"Oh, you want to hear about this one. Trust me." Karofsky closed the distance between them quickly, slamming one hand on the driver's side door and the other pushing Kurt against the car. He tried not to whimper at the pain, but it escaped through his lips anyway. Where was Blaine?

"Karofsky, go aw-"

"Azimio called me. Said he heard Puckerman tell your stepbrother something interesting. Wanna guess what that was?" Kurt was shaking now, and he couldn't stop. "Apparently Puckerman thinks I kissed you. He thinks I'm a fag, like you. Now why would he think that?"

Kurt shook his head. "N-no idea."

Karofsky let his hand drift from Kurt's collarbone down his chest, and Kurt tried not to think about it. His hand stopped in the middle of his chest, and Kurt breathed a sigh of relief.

Karofsky leaned in close, his mouth less than an inch away from Kurt's ear. "I think you told somebody other than that kid. What did I say would happen if you told anyone?"

Kurt gasped. "I didn't, I swear to g-" he groaned in pain when the hand that was on his chest made contact with his stomach. He didn't know being punched would hurt like that.

"Shut the fuck up." Karofsky pulled Kurt back to standing, and put his hands on his shoulders. He leaned in again; this time his lips touched Kurt's ear. He almost threw up from the feeling.

"Please, just-"

Another punch to the stomach, this one harder. Kurt doubled over in pain, and dropped to his knees.

"I told you to _shut up_!" Karofsky growled, and shoved him all the way to the ground. Kurt barely had time to process what was going on before a Nike sneaker collided with his left leg, a resounding _crack_ filling the air. "You fucking _faggot_!" Kurt was crying now, trying to hold back the screams of pain. All he could think of was- one more kick, this time to his hips. No crack this time, just white-hot pain.

"Please!" Kurt yelped when another kick landed on his chest. He couldn't see anymore; his eyes were filled with tears that wouldn't stop coming, just like the kicks. Kurt heard someone yell, and Karofsky faltered. He thought maybe he was going to stop, that maybe the man in the store had heard something and was coming to see what was happening. He closed his eyes and waited for the pain to stop.

* * *

**Next: Kurt just wants to be loved; is that so much to ask?**

**A/N 2: I'll try to post the next chapter asap, but my dad just informed me that we're putting down our 14 and a half year old lab/rottweiler mix tomorrow. His name is Marmaduke the 2nd, and he's probably the best dog I've ever owned.**

**Writing helps me get through the hard times in my life, so I'll use writing to get me through this.**


	10. The Break

**A/N: Again, sorry about the wait. This one was hard to write, but tonight... Wow. I wrote more than 3/4 of it in the last two hours. And thank you to everyone who sent me good thoughts and prayers about my dog. I loved him, and I miss him, but it was time. Now, onto the story.**

* * *

"Stop it!" Blaine's voice made Karofsky's foot pause on it's way to Kurt's chest. He turned around and saw the shorter boy barreling toward him, and even though he was small, the force of his body colliding with Karofsky's was enough to knock the wind out of him.

Blaine had hoped he could do more damage to the jock, but no such luck; Karofsky shoved him away with all his might, and he slammed into the rusty gas pump. Karofsky didn't even glance back at the two boys before he ran to his truck and took off.

"Blaine?" Kurt whimpered. He was still on the ground, curled into a ball. Blaine tried to ignore the searing pain and wetness on his arm, and knelt next to Kurt.

"Shh, shh. It's okay, Kurt. I'm here." Blaine held his left arm close to his body, not wanting to get any blood on Kurt's clothes. They might be covered in dirt, but Kurt would kill him for getting blood on them. "I'll call 911, just hold on one second, alright?" He reached into his pants pocket to find his phone, but Kurt tried to swat it away.

"No. No." his eyes were closed, but his voice was forceful. "I, I can get up. I'm fine." To prove it, he pushed Blaine away and sat up. He tried to use the handle on his car door to pull himself up, but he slid down again.

Blaine helped Kurt stand up, but he wasn't putting any weight on his left leg.

"Kurt?" he asked gently, his right hand still holding onto Kurt's waist. He stared at the ground, not looking at Blaine.

"Kurt, did he hurt your leg?" he finally glanced up, his eyes pooling with tears again. He nodded, not trusting his voice at that moment. He was hurting so bad, and he wanted nothing more than to fall into Blaine's arms and let himself be held.

"K-kicked me." Kurt whispered.

"Kurt, you've got to let me at least take you to the hospital." Blaine knew that Kurt wouldn't be okay with an ambulance, but he thought he might be able to get him there if he drove.

Kurt nodded again.

"We'll take your Navigator, okay? Let's get you in." He wrapped his arm around Kurt's waist, being careful not to put too much pressure on his ribs.

"Thank you, Blaine."

"Anything for you. You know that."

* * *

"Blaine? What's going on? You tore out of here like a bat out of hell, is everything okay?" David held his phone to his ear. Wes looked at him, confused. They were in the common room, going over some new arrangements for a Black-Eyed Peas song when David's phone rang with Blaine's ringtone.

"Holy shit." His jaw dropped.

"What? David, what's-" Wes was silenced by David's hand covering his mouth.

"Yeah, no problem. Bellefontaine? 'Kay." He paused. "No, I've got your spare. Lima Memorial? Alright. Do you need us to bring anything for you?"

"Mmph!" Wes's groan was muffled.

"I'll drive your car, Wes can drive mine. We'll be there as soon as we can." He ended the call and removed his hand from Wes's face.

"Hospital?" Wes asked.

"Kurt got attacked at some gas station in Bellefontaine. Blaine's taking him to the hospital in Kurt's SUV, but he doesn't want to leave his car there."

"Wait, he's going to the Lima hospital? Why not a closer one?" Wes was confused.

"No idea, didn't ask. Let's go drop our stuff off and head out, I want to get Blaine's car before it gets stolen."

"Did he tell you how bad the attack was?" Wes asked as they made their way up the stairs to David's room.

"No, but it couldn't have been too bad if he's not taking an ambulance." He shrugged. "Let's hurry, though. I want to make sure they're both okay."

A blonde head poked out of a door. "Ambulance? Who?" Jeff asked.

Wes and David just stared at each other, neither of them wanting to say anything else. They had no idea what had happened between the two boys, but they knew that they weren't talking, and that Kurt had stayed over with Blaine the night before.

"Guys, who's going to the hospital?" Jeff asked again, getting irritated.

"Listen, Jeff, we can't-" David started.

"It's Kurt, Jeff." David glared at his best friend. Wes just looked back, his eyes wide and innocent.

Jeff had never had a panic attack, but he thought he was about to have one. "_What?_"

"He's on his way to the Lima hospital-" Wes was interrupted this time.

"Jeff, you can call him later, but right now, we've got to leave." David grabbed his friend's arm and dragged him to his room. Once they were safely behind the locked door, Wes knew he was in trouble.

"I'm sorry, David! He just looked so scared, I had to tell him!"

David shook his head and dropped their things on his bed. "Just… ugh. Let's go, we need to get Blaine's car. Do you have your wallet?" Wes nodded. "'Kay. I'm going to drive Blaine's car once we get there, then you'll drive mine. We'll go to the hospital."

"David?" Wes sounded worried now.

"Yeah?" he shut the door behind them, making sure it was locked. He was grateful that he and Wes had changed into hoodies and sweats for the night, since he knew from experience that sitting in a hospital in his uniform was _not_ comfortable.

"Do you think Kurt's okay?"

David paused before answering, and they were already outside when he finally spoke up. "I don't know, Wes. I hope so."

* * *

"Holy shit, is he okay?" Finn hadn't expected Blaine to tell him his brother was on his way to the hospital.

"He should be, we just have to get there. He wanted to go to the one in Lima, and we should be there in a little bit. My friends are on their way from Dalton to pick up my car, then they're going to meet us at the hospital. Can you call your parents? I would, but I don't want to be the one to tell them what's going on."

"Yeah, yeah, no problem."

"Thanks for calling me to begin with, man. If you hadn't, I don't even want to know what could have happened. We'll see you at Lima Memorial in a few."

Finn smiled a little; maybe he was kind of good at this big brother thing. "I'll see you there, and I'll let you know when I get a hold of my parents."

"Thanks, Finn. See you in a bit." Blaine hung up, and turned his attention to the boy sitting next to him. "You doing okay, Kurt?"

He didn't say anything.

"Kurt, you gotta answer me. Are you okay?" his voice was firm.

"Yeah. It just hurts to talk. It hurts to breathe." He was quiet.

"We'll be there soon." Blaine glanced over at him, and was met with the sight of Kurt bent over double, tears silently streaming down his face. Without thinking, he reached over and took Kurt's hand in his own and slightly squeezed it. Kurt kept his eyes closed, but squeezed back.

_You think I'm pretty, without any makeup on_

_You think I'm funny, when I tell the punch line wrong_

_I know you get me, so I let my walls come down_

Katy Perry was playing softly over the radio, and Blaine started singing along.

_Before you met me, I was alright, but things were kind of heavy_

_You brought me to life, now every February, you'll be my Valentine, Valentine_

It was different from the first and second time Blaine sang this to Kurt. This time, there was more feeling. This time, there was no awkwardness. This time, Kurt just held his hand, and Blaine was okay with that.

_Let's go all, the way tonight_

_No regrets, just love_

_We can dance, until we die_

_You and I, will be young forever_

_You make me feel like I'm living a teenage dream_

_The way you turn me on_

_I can't sleep, let's run away and don't ever look back_

_Don't ever look back_

_My heart stops, when you look at me_

_Just one touch, now baby I believe_

_This is real, so take a chance_

_And don't ever look back, don't ever look back_

Blaine kept singing, holding onto Kurt's hand. He ignored the burning pain in his arm, the stinging tears in his eyes, and the awful aching of his heart, and sang along to the song that had first introduced them. No matter what, it was their song. It didn't matter if they were together, it didn't. Kurt _was_ his teenage dream. Hell, he was the one person Blaine thought could be _more_ than just a teenage dream; he was the one person he actually loved.

* * *

"His name is Kurt Hummel! Where's my son?" Burt Hummel was standing in the waiting room of the ER for Lima Memorial Hospital, not really trying to control his temper. He was scared, so scared for his son, and the admitting nurse was just looking at him and not being very helpful at all. He was angry, not just at the girl. He was angry that he had put his phone on silent, and hadn't checked it more. He was mad that he found out about his son's attack more than an hour after it had happened, and he was pissed that he had gotten pulled over on the way to the hospital.

"Mr. Hummel, they took him back as soon as we got here." Blaine got up from the chair he had been sitting in, and walked toward his friend's dad. He was immediately swept up in an unexpected hug from the man.

"Thank you so much, Blaine. God, thank you." Burt let a few tears fall from his eyes, and let go of him. He kept his hands on his shoulders, and looked at him. "Thank you."

Blaine didn't really know what to do, but he nodded. "Anything for Kurt, Mr. Hummel." Burt thought he heard something else there, something more than just worry, but he let it go. "I'm just glad I got there when I did."

"That Karofsky kid did this to my boy?" His voice was a little raised, but he quieted down when Carole put her hand on his shoulder.

"Yes, sir." Blaine nodded.

"You call the cops?"

"No sir, not yet. I wanted to wait for you." Blaine hoped he had done the right thing in not calling the police; he doubted it, though.

"I'll call 'em. Carole, honey?" he turned toward his wife. "Can you come get me if the doctor comes out?" she assured him she would, then he went outside to call the police.

Carole looked at Blaine for a moment; he looked like a mess. He had dirt all over his gray sweats, blood on his arm, and his hair was all over the place. "Blaine? What happened to your arm?"

He looked startled; he had zoned out for a second, and hadn't heard Carole start talking to him. "Huh?"

"Your arm. There's blood on it, what happened?"

He looked down at the bloody mess; his entire left forearm was red and brown, a mixture of dirt and blood. He couldn't feel the sharp pain he had felt earlier, it had turned into more of a dull ache. "I fell. Well, Karofsky pushed me, but-"

"Mom?" Finn came around the corner, flanked by Puck and Mike, with Sam trailing a little behind. It spoke volumes about how far Finn had come that he let himself be held by his mother while he cried a little. It wasn't the crying, or his mother, it was the fact that he did it in front of his friends, who were all on the football team.

"Shh, it's okay. It's alright, Finn." She stroked his back, and kept whispering calming words into her sons ear.

"Dude." Puck walked over to Blaine. "You did good, man. Thanks."

Blaine nodded.

"Seriously, saving Kurt, and running Karofsky off? You rock." Mike added.

"They're right, you know. You kinda saved him back there." Sam joined in.

Blaine still didn't say anything, he just nodded again. He was starting to feel a little dizzy; after-effects of all the adrenaline, surely. Luckily, the boys walked back over to Finn, who was no longer in his mom's arms. Blaine had just sat back down in his chair (which was starting to get his ass imprint) when two familiar faces ran into the waiting room.

"Blaine? Oh, Jesus, Blaine. You look like shit." Wes blurted out.

"Does everybody have to get here at the same time?" he muttered.

"Do you realize how fast your car can go, man? Holy cow, I'm impressed." David smiled, then sat down next to Blaine and handed him his keys. The smile was wiped clean after he saw the evil glare Blaine was throwing in his direction.

"Kurt gonna be okay?" Wes asked. He was still standing, and he looked slightly uncomfortable. He didn't like hospitals, even though he didn't have a rational reason to.

"I think so. I mean, he hurt his leg, and he said it hurt to breathe, but other than that-" he stopped when he saw a tall woman walk out of a pair of double doors. She was obviously a doctor, and when she called out "Hummel?" his heart leapt into this throat. He jumped up from his seat and half-ran over to her, desperate to hear good news.

"Yeah?" Burt had just walked in as he heard his name being called, and got to the doctor just as Blaine did.

"You're Kurt's father?" she asked, extending her hand.

"Yes, what's wrong with my son? He gonna be alright?" his eyes were full of fear.

"Yeah, is my brother gonna be alright?" Finn echoed.

The doctor looked around at the assembled group; Burt, Carole, Blaine, Finn, Puck, Mike, Sam, Wes, and David. Blaine was just happy the rest of the Warbler's and New Directions weren't there, the waiting room wasn't big enough to hold all of them.

"He'll be fine, guys. He's got bruises, and he'll be in a cast for a bit, but as long as he takes it easy, he'll be just fine." Sighs of relief were heard all around.

"Wait, cast? What's broken?" Burt asked.

"Well, it seems an impact to his left leg broke his tibia. It's not a bad break, though, just a hairline fracture. It'll take a couple months to fully heal, but a plaster cast for now, then a walking cast, some physical therapy, he'll be as good as new." She smiled.

"What about his stomach? And his chest?" Blaine had to ask.

"No damage to any internal organs, he'll just have some pretty nasty bruises on his stomach and side. He did, we think, bruise a few of his bottom ribs on his left side. There's not much we can do for that, though, just Tylenol, ice, and taking it easy."

"Thanks, doc. Can we see him now?" Burt just wanted to make sure his son really was okay.

"Of course, but only two at a time."

"'Kay, my wife and I will go first. Finn, you and Blaine can see him later, okay?" Burt didn't wait for a response before he half-dragged Carole towards the double doors.

Blaine was feeling a little more dizzy, and his vision was starting to cloud.

"Uh, Blaine, I think you might want to sit down." David put his hand on Blaine's right shoulder to steady him; he had started to wobble. "Whoa! Holy sh- Blaine, you're covered in blood!" he exclaimed, seeing his arm; it really was quite bloody. Wes reached over and took Blaine's other shoulder, and they moved him back to his chair and made him sit down.

"'Mfine." He mumbled. He closed his eyes, willing the room to stop spinning. David and Wes exchanged concerned looks that quickly changed to a mix of shock and fear when they heard a new voice.

"I'm looking for Kurt Hummel?" Great. Jeff had arrived.

Blaine's eyes shot open when he heard Jeff speak, and before his friends could stop him, he was up and right in Jeff's face. "Leave, Jeff. If Kurt wanted you here, he would have had me call you. Get out of here." His voice was surprisingly calm.

"Blaine?" Jeff took in the sight of the shorter boy. "Dude, you okay?" Blaine had stumbled a little bit on his way over, and couldn't seem to find his footing.

"G-go away, Jeff." Blaine closed his eyes and tried to steady himself.

"What's going on, Blaine?" Finn had come over once he saw his brother's boyfriend.

"Blaine! You need to sit down!" David pushed through the other two McKinley boys to get to his friend.

"No, Kurt needs-"

Everything went black.

* * *

"Please, Mr. Hummel. I just want so see him for a few minutes." Jeff pleaded with Kurt's dad. Wes and David looked on, neither one sure if they should say anything. They didn't think it was their place, but they also knew that Kurt probably wouldn't want to see him.

Burt sighed. "Yeah. Fine, just wait for Finn to come back out, then you can go see him."

Jeff grinned broadly. "Yes sir." Seconds later, Finn walked out. He hadn't been back with Kurt for too long, since he could tell he was tired and wanted to be left alone. He had asked for Blaine, but Finn just told him he couldn't go back there yet. He didn't know where Blaine was exactly, but he knew he had passed out; Finn had no intention of freaking Kurt out any more than he already was.

"Room 214!" Burt told Jeff as he walked through the doors.

"208, 210, 212…" Jeff counted. "214." He took a deep breath and then stepped inside the dark room.

"Who is it this time?" Kurt's soft voice met him when he walked in.

"Kurt, baby, I'm so glad you're ok-"

"Jeff?" he stopped when he heard the anger in his voice.

"Please, Kurt, listen to me." He gathered the little bit of courage he had and made his way to Kurt's bedside. "I'm so sorry, baby. I was so scared. When I found out you were here, I just-"

"Get out." Kurt wouldn't look at him, instead he stared at the blank tv in the corner. The only sound in the room was the beeping of his heart monitor, counting each precious beat.

"Kurt?" he finally turned his head toward the blonde boy, and regretted it almost immediately. He saw how red-rimmed Jeff's eyes were, and knew he'd been crying. His hair, which was usually brushed over his bangs, was askew, and his blue jeans had a big ketchup stain on one thigh. Jeff was obviously a mess.

"Why are you here?" he couldn't stop the venom in his voice; Kurt was still pissed at Jeff, even if he had driven two hours to see him.

"Why? Why is because I lo- oh, fuck it. Kurt, I love you. I fucking love you and I was so scared that something really bad had happened to you, that that fucking jock had really hurt you, that you were beyond fucked up, or in a coma, or de-"

"I'll be fine, Jeff." Kurt stopped him. "Wait, what did you say?" he wasn't sure what he had heard, the morphine was pretty powerful.

"I, I love you, Kurt. I love you." Each time he said it, Jeff's smile got bigger. "I really do, baby, and I'm so sorry, I just…" he trailed off when he saw Kurt's face get confused, then angry again. "Baby?" he asked.

"What's on your neck?" Kurt asked quietly.

"Huh?"

"What is on your neck, Jeff?" he asked again, hurt clouding his already bruised face.

Jeff touched his neck, not sure what Kurt was talking about.

"There, right there."

Jeff paused, and looked down. His hand wasn't exactly on his neck, it was closer to his collarbone. He knew what Kurt was talking about. He moved to pull the collar of his t-shirt up, but Kurt reached out and stopped him.

"Simon?" Kurt asked gently. It killed Jeff to hear Kurt say his name. "Please, Jeff, tell me."

Jeff closed his eyes for a second, trying to think of what he could say to make everything better. "Y-yeah. Him. But Kurt, it doesn't mea-"

"Leave. Please." Kurt moved his hand from Jeff's arm, and looked away. "I don't… Just go."

Jeff just looked at him, dumbstruck. "Kurt, let me explain, baby. I'm so sorry, I-"

Kurt whipped his head back around, wincing as he did so. "Don't call me that. And I believe I told you to leave."

"Kurt…"

"No. I'm done with you. You show up at the hospital with a hickey on your neck from your _ex_, and you think it's okay? You practically _fuck_ him while you're with _me_, and you think that's **okay**?" Kurt was breathing hard now, the anger and hurt just getting stronger. "We're done. I don't want you anymore. Get the hell out and don't fucking come back." His normally warm eyes were now ice-cold, any sign of affection completely gone.

Jeff stepped back, trying hard not to start crying. He knew he had screwed up, but he thought that… he shook his head. It didn't matter anymore, Kurt didn't want him.

"I really am sorry, Kurt." he whispered. He left the room, not knowing if Kurt heard him.

* * *

"Fourteen stitches? Holy hell, Blaine. Why did it take you so long to pass out?" David was sitting next to his friend. They were in one of the little curtained-off areas in the ER, both Blaine and David on the bed, and Wes on the little doctor's chair. Blaine shook his head and laughed a little at the sight of Wes wheeling around, making 'whoosh'-ing sounds.

"I didn't really notice it that much, honestly. I was too focused on-"

"Kurt, we know." Wes and David said in unison, and rolled their eyes at their friend.

"Didn't know I was that predictable…" he muttered. He glanced down at his arm, which was now clean. He had fourteen little black stitches on the side of his forearm, and was just waiting for the doctor to come back with the care instructions. They had given him a tetanus shot just in case, even though he had almost passed out (again) at the sight of the needle. He knew he'd be sore the next day, but it was worth it.

"Blaine Anderson?" they all heard a familiar voice ask.

"Right across from you, young man." A nurse answered. Seconds later, the pastel curtain slid open, revealing an obviously upset Jeff Lochlan.

"Jeff?" Blaine was a little more than surprised to see him.

He looked at Blaine's arm. "You gonna be okay?"

"Yeah. I'll be fine. What do you need?" Blaine kept his voice even; the hospital was not the place for him to yell at his best friend's boyfriend.

"Nothing, really, I just…" he sighed. "You win."

"What?"

"You win." Jeff didn't say anything else, he just shut the curtain again and left.

"What was that about?" Wes asked.

"I think they broke up…" Even though he was sure Jeff thought he would be overjoyed (and he _was_ happy they weren't together), the first thing on his mind was Kurt, and how much it must have hurt him. If the doctor hadn't walked in right then, he would have ran to Kurt's room to comfort him.

* * *

"Yes, officers. We understand." Carole and Burt were standing in Kurt's hospital room with Officers Thompson and Slaughter.

"Do we have to do this right now? My kid's been through a lot, and-"

"Dad, it's fine. Anything to make this not happen again." Kurt just wanted them to find Karofsky and put him away. He used to feel bad for him, the closeted jock in western Ohio, afraid of anyone knowing his secret. Now he just wanted him to go away forever, where he could never hurt anyone ever again.

Burt nodded, then took his son's hand when he started talking.

"My brother and I got into an argument about Karofsky, and I was upset. I went for a drive, but ran out of gas before I could really get anywhere."

* * *

"But dude, the cops are here. We should let them take care of it." Mike was trying to stop Finn, Sam and Puck from leaving the hospital.

"Screw that, man. Screw that. They'll arrest him, and then what? Put him in juvie?" Puck growled. They were almost to his Pinto. "Juvie sucked, but he deserves so much fucking worse."

"Puck, you'll just end up there with him!" Mike was worried now; sure, he wanted to kick Karofsky's ass, but he also knew that they could all get in serious trouble if they jumped him, and he didn't want to end up in jail himself.

"Stay here then. We'll go take care of him ourselves." Sam didn't turn back when he spoke. "I've seen guys like him before; nothing stops them until _something_ does."

"Sa-"

"Mike, no offense dude, but if you're not going to help us, then shut up and go back inside." Finn spun around, and Mike was a little afraid of his friend. "He fucking attacked my brother. If it hadn't been for Blaine, he could've… I need to do this. I wasn't there last time, I have to do this now." Mike could see the regret in Finn's eyes, so he shut up and nodded. He wasn't going to do anything, but he'd be there for his friend.

"Get in, guys. I know where he'll be." Puck started the car and revved the engine.

* * *

It was dark, and the rain wasn't falling too heavily yet. It was just a light drizzle, nothing big. He sighed, and thought back to earlier that night.

_No! St-stop! Please, no!_

Kurt's voice had cut through the air like a knife. He hadn't meant to keep going, but he really couldn't stop himself.

_I didn't say anything! I swear! Please, no!_

He could still feel Kurt's body curling around his foot, trying to make him stop. Once he got that phone call, though, there were only two things he wanted to do…

_You a fag, Dave? What the fuck?_

He was lucky he wasn't around anyone when Azimio called him; all the color had drained from his face, and the cd he had been holding at the time shattered.

'_Cuz that's what I heard. I heard you kissed Hummel. That true?_

He denied it, of course. Told his friend that nothing like that happened, that Kurt had lied about it.

_Didn't hear it from Kurt, man._

He wouldn't tell him who he heard it from, though. Karofsky guessed it must be Finn, or maybe that black chick. He knew Azimio was into her, maybe she let it slip.

_That why you always goin' after him, huh? You like him?_

Did he? Did he like Kurt? He told his friend no, no way. He hated those fags, fucking perverts. Told him that maybe Kurt liked him, and had spread that lie.

_You better not be fuckin' lyin' to me. You better not be a little faggot._

He wasn't.

_You gonna take care of him now? Show him what it really means to fuck with you?_

He had laughed, told him he would 'deal' with him. He didn't mean that he would…

_No!_

He barely noticed the hot tears running down his face as they mixed with the cold rain that was now starting to pour.

_Stop it!_

That one guy, the prep school kid. He knew he recognized him, he was the one that knew about the- yeah. He was the one. If he hadn't shown up when he did, he wasn't sure what would have happened.

_Ugh!_

The sound the boy made when he hit the gas pump was a little sickening, even to his ears. He hadn't meant to push him that hard, but he did. He didn't even stick around to see if either boy was okay, he just ran. He ran to his hand-me-down truck, jumped in the driver's seat, and took off. It wasn't until he was 20 miles from Lima that he realized he was shaking.

_Fuck. Fuck. Fuck._

He had pulled over on the side of the highway and gotten out, trying to calm himself down.

_He's fine. They're fine. You're fine._

Once he was calm enough to drive, he had driven to the high school. Yeah, he didn't like the school itself, but he felt comfortable on the football field. It was kind of his home away from home. He had liked spending time on the ice when he was on the hockey team, but after a close call with a teammate (he still couldn't look him in the eye) he had left the team. At least here, on the football field, he felt like he could be okay.

* * *

"There he is." Puck pointed at Karofsky, who was sitting on the ground, his back against the field goal post.

Finn didn't even wait for the car to come to a complete stop before he was out and running toward the boy. He didn't see the tears running down his face, or the crushed picture in his fist. He didn't stop to think about anything other than the hurt, scared, broken face of his brother. Karofsky was going to pay.

* * *

"Are you okay?"

"I wish everyone would stop asking me that." Kurt grumbled and looked away from his curly-haired friend.

"Sorry." Blaine couldn't help but sound a little pathetic.

"No, don't be." Kurt turned back. "I'm just a little sick of it, that's all." He smiled a little. "Are _you_ okay?" he had noticed the line of stitches down Blaine's arm.

"Eh, I'll be good. Just a few stitches, nothing I haven't had before."

Kurt didn't miss that.

"Before?" he asked.

Blaine paused before he answered. "I'll tell you sometime. Right now, I'd rather listen to you talk." He sat down in the chair closest to the hospital bed, and let Kurt take his good hand, the one he held on the drive over.

"I broke up with Jeff." He was quiet.

Blaine didn't say anything.

"I know he, he _said_ he loves me, but I don't think he does."

"Wait, what did he say? When did he say that?" Blaine blurted out before he could turn on his brain-mouth filter.

"Earlier tonight. In here."

"Oh." He looked down at their hands, noticing the little circles Kurt was drawing into the back of his hand with his thumb.

"I think he still loves Simon." Kurt sighed. "And I, I still have feelings for him, but they're not as strong as- Well, they're not as strong as they could have been. As they _should_ have been."

"I'm sorry Kurt." Kurt opened his mouth to speak, but Blaine continued. "I'm sorry for Jeff, for Karofsky, for our fights, for _everything_. I'm so, so sorry." He leaned forward, wanting Kurt to really understand him. "You deserve so much better than what you've had. You're amazing, Kurt, and all this bullshit, all these shitty things, you never deserved them."

Kurt looked at Blaine, his eyes wide and shimmering with tears that he didn't want to fall; he was sick of crying in front of this boy.

"Blaine, I-"

The door opened.

"Kurt, do you know where Finn and the other boys would go?" Carole stepped in. Blaine started to pull away from Kurt, but the other boy kept a firm grip on his hand.

"They're not here?" He asked. He wanted to see Finn again, to apologize.

"No, we can't find them. None of the boys are answering their phones, either." She was worried.

"Mrs. Hudson-Hummel?" Officer Slaughter came to the door, her brown hair slightly hidden by the police cap she wore.

"Yes?" Carole asked.

"Come out into the hall, we need to speak with you."

"Okay. Kurt, honey, I'll be back in a few minutes." she smiled at her stepson, then walked back out into the hall and shut the door.

Officer Slaughter waited until she was sure the door was closed before she began to speak. "We found your son, ma'am. He's on his way to the police department. As is Mr. Dave Karofsky." Her voice was curt.

"What happened?" Carole's voice cracked.

"Another officer was called to the McKinley High school, for reports of a fight on the premises. Your son attacked Mr. Karofsky on the football field."

"Oh god! Finn, is Finn okay? Was he arrested? Is my son okay?" she asked in quick succession.

"Ma'am, your son is fine, he's just got a black eye and a sprained wrist, or so the paramedic thinks. The other boy, well, he's probably going to take a pit stop here before he goes to the police department." She sighed. "Looks like he's got a cracked jaw, along with a broken brow bone."

"Let me go talk to my husband, then I'll meet you at the police department." Carole tried to keep her voice steady, but it was obvious that she was upset.

"I've got to head up there now, I'll see you soon, ma'am." The officer nodded once, then turned to leave.

Carole took a few deep breaths, then went back into the room. "Kurt, honey?"

"What's going on?" he asked.

"I have to go, but I'll be back as soon as I can, alright?"

"Oh, okay. Is Dad going with you?"

"I don't think so, sweetie, I'll send him in for you though. I gotta go now, love you." she walked over to kiss him lightly on the forehead.

"Bye, Carole. Love you too." he smiled, and watched her leave.

The room was quiet for a few minutes, neither boy saying anything, both content to sit in the quiet.

"It's getting late, Kurt, I better get going." Blaine didn't want to impose on Kurt, not when he should be healing. He moved to take his hand back, but Kurt held tighter.

"Please, don't. Don't go. I'm sure my parents will let you stay with them tonight, you shouldn't have to drive back to Dalton. Not with the storm outside." He didn't want to admit to Blaine that he was afraid to be alone.

"But Wes and David-"

"Can stay at my house, too. Trust me, my dad and Carole will be okay with it."

Blaine seemed to consider it, then sat back down. "Okay. But only if your dad says okay."

"He will." Kurt squeezed his hand. "Blaine?" he asked.

"Hmm?"

"Will you do me a favor?" he knew it would probably sound stupid, but he could at least try.

"Anything for you. What is it?"

"Can you… can you sing to me?" he blushed.

"Sing?" Blaine was a little confused. "Sing what?"

"Anything. Doesn't matter. Just sing."

"Why?" he asked gently, not wanting to upset Kurt.

"In the car, earlier. You singing? That calmed me down. I felt better. I really just want to feel a little better, and, well…" he trailed off, and looked down at their intertwined hands.

He didn't see Blaine smile, and he didn't see the slight blush on the other boy's cheeks. Blaine didn't blush that often, but when he did, it was usually caused by Kurt.

"Like I said, anything for you." Granted, he sang it in a lower key, but he hoped it still sounded good.

_I miss those blue eyes_

_How you kiss me at night_

_I miss the way we sleep_

_Like there's no sunrise_

_Like the taste of your smile_

_I miss they way we breathe_

_But I never told you_

_What I should have said_

_No, I never told you_

_I just held it in_

_And now I miss everything about you_

_I can't believe it_

_I still want you_

_After all the things we've been through_

_I miss everything about you_

_Without you, oh_

_I see your blue eyes_

_Every time I close mine_

_You make it hard to see_

_Where I belong to_

_When I'm not around you_

_It's like I'm not with me_

_But I never told you_

_What I should have said_

_No I never told you_

_I just held it in…_

* * *

Burt was about to step into his son's hospital room, but stopped when he heard a soft voice singing. It wasn't Kurt's voice, though. He peeked inside and saw Blaine holding Kurt's hand, and Kurt's eyes closed, but a smile on his face. The boy in the room with him had done a lot for Burt that night, even if he hadn't realized it. He had risked his own life to save his son's, and that meant more to Burt Hummel than Blaine could ever realize. Apparently Blaine meant more to Kurt Hummel than Burt realized.

He smiled, then went back to the waiting room. He could wait a little while to see his boy; someone else who loved him was with him.

* * *

**Next: Kurt has to heal, but he can't do it alone.**


	11. The Past

**A/N: Long chapter. Written in two days. Have fun!**

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* * *

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"Mia, don't freak out, I'm fine." Kurt woke to Blaine's voice, half-whispering into his phone. He kept his eyes closed, not wanting to interrupt.

"No, don't. Seriously, it's okay." He paused. "I'm not the one staying in the hospital. I just got a cut on my arm, that's it. Kurt's the one who's in here." Kurt noticed the tender way Blaine said his name.

"Oh, my god, Mia, _yes_, 'babies' Kurt." Babies Kurt? What did he have to do with babies? "The doctor said he'll heal just fine." Another pause. "No! Jesus, Mia, 'sexual' healing is not what- Holy hell. I'm going to hang up now, I love you." Kurt heard the _beep_ as Blaine ended the call, and decided to properly 'wake up'. He let out a big yawn, and stretched his arms a little, not wanting to hurt himself.

"Kurt? You okay?" Blaine jumped up from the chair he had been lounging on and rushed to Kurt's side.

"Hmm? Yeah, I'm okay." He smiled up at his friend. "Was that your sister?" he asked.

"Ugh, yeah. I'm sorry about whatever you heard, she's insane." Kurt noticed the slight blush on Blaine's cheeks.

"Well, she's related to you, I imagine she'd have to be a bit insane." He joked.

"You have no idea." Blaine winked, and moved back to his chair. "But seriously, are you feeling okay? I can call the nurse in for you, to give you some more morphine." He nodded toward the red _call_ button.

"No, I'm fine. Sore, yeah, but nothing like before. What time is it?" he felt a little groggy, and wasn't sure how long he'd been asleep. The room was still dark, but Kurt didn't know if it was because it was dark out, or because of the heavy curtain covering the small window.

Blaine glanced at his cell phone before answering. "It's 7:42 in the morning, Saturday, April 16th." He smiled. "The year is 2011, if you were wondering."

"Oh, haha, very funny." Kurt rolled his eyes. "Wait, it's morning?" Blaine nodded. "How long have you been here?"

Blaine paused for a moment before answering. "Um, technically, I never left." He avoided Kurt's gaze.

"I thought you were going to go to my house and sleep. Why didn't you? And where are my parents?"

"Your step-mom is at the police station with Finn, and your dad is on his way back from the shop. He said he had to call a few people in to cover for him."

"Police station? Finn? Blaine, what the hell happened?"

The door opened, revealing Kurt's father, looking exhausted.

"I'll tell you about that in a bit, Kurt, but you don't need to be worrying about that right now. You need to go back to sleep, get some real rest. Blaine, you can head back to the house, just park next to your friend's car."

"Sir, it's alright, I can stay here and-" Burt cut him off.

"You barely slept last night, go to our place and crash. You can come back later, after you've gotten some shuteye." His voice was firm.

Blaine nodded, and got up. "I'll see you later, Kurt." he smiled a little, and waved before leaving the room. It was obvious to Burt that Blaine didn't want to leave Kurt's side, but it was getting a little ridiculous; the kid hadn't left the hospital all night.

"Dad, he could have stayed if he wanted to." Kurt sounded a little irritated.

"Kurt, he stayed out in the waiting room all damn night, even though visiting hours were over. The kid needed to go and sleep." Burt sat down in the chair Blaine had vacated.

"All night?" Kurt asked.

"Yep." Burt let the 'p' pop as he said it. "Refused to leave."

"Huh." Kurt was quiet again. "Wait, why are Carole and Finn at the police department? We already talked to the cops about what happened. Do they need more information?"

Burt sighed. "Finn's in trouble, Kurt."

"Trouble? What kind of trouble?" the heart monitor started beeping faster when Kurt started to panic.

"Whoa, chill out, buddy, calm down." Burt stood up and walked over to his son, and took one of his hands in his own. "It's fine, okay, don't worry so much."

"Don't _worry_? You say that Finn's in trouble and they're at the _police department_ and I'm not supposed to worry?"

"Kurt, if you can't calm down, the nurse is going to have to come back in and give you more morphine. Now breathe." Kurt closed his eyes and took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. "Okay, good. I'll tell you what's going on, but you can't get too upset, alright?"

"Okay." Kurt had control of his breathing again. "Now what happened?"

Burt pulled the chair closer to the bed then sat down again, not letting go of his son's hand. "He and the guys went looking for Karofsky. They found him at the school, on the football field. Finn laid into him, big time. Broke his brow bone, cracked his jaw, really kicked his ass." Kurt gasped. "He sprained his wrist though, and has a pretty nasty black eye."

"Puck, the other guys, are they in trouble, too?" Kurt asked. He knew that Puck would end up in serious trouble if he had been fighting.

"Not really. Puckerman actually pulled him off of Karofsky, and the other two just tried to keep them apart. The cops got there pretty quick, so nothing too bad happened."

"Oh, god, Dad. What's going to happen to Finn?" he was worried for his stepbrother; he had a shot at getting a scholarship for glee or football, but if he ended up in juvie, he might lose it.

"Well, they've gotta talk to Karofsky's dad, that Paul guy, and your principal, since it happened on school property. If they decide to, they can press charges. Whoa, whoa, buddy, breathe." Kurt had started panicking again.

"Dad, it's my fault. I'm so, so sorry." His eyes were watering.

"Hey, none of that. It is _not_ your fault. That kid attacked you, hurt you, broke your damn leg, and none of that was your fault. Your brother made the decision to go after that little shithead, and you know what? I'm damn proud of him for it." Burt sat back in the chair.

"Wow…" Kurt was a little shocked; he had stepped up for him, had gone after someone who hurt him. Finn was definitely the best brother he could have asked for.

"Yeah. But we'll deal with that later. Right now I want to ask you a few questions."

Kurt felt his stomach flip. "Questions?"

"About this boyfriend of yours." Burt let go of Kurt's hand and waited for him to say something.

"Um, boyfriend?"

"Jeff. The one you haven't introduced me to yet?"

"Dad, he was here last night."

Burt looked confused. "Is he one of the boys that stayed at the house last night? 'Cause I thought you said he was blonde."

"Dad, he came in last night and talked to me. You don't remember him?"

Burt thought for a moment. "That pushy kid? _That's_ your boyfriend?"

"He was pushy?"

"Yeah, he kept begging to see you. I didn't even ask his name, but he had Dalton sweats on, so I figured he knew ya."

"I'm going to kill him." Kurt muttered.

"Why? He's your boyfriend, kiddo, he wanted to make sure you were alright." Burt's confusion wasn't going away.

"No, Dad, he's not my boyfriend." He gently folded his arms across his chest, being careful not to hurt himself. "At least not anymore."

"What happened? You break up with him for Blaine?" Burt asked.

"Dad!" Kurt exclaimed. His dad really was a bit clueless at times. "No! I just, he and I don't really… It just wasn't working." He didn't want to say too much; he knew his dad would fly off the handle if he knew what had really happened with Jeff.

"Blaine have anything to do with it?" he asked, leaning forward.

"No, he didn't. What's with all the Blaine-related questions, anyway?"

Burt looked down at his feet. It was still a little awkward for him to talk to his son about relationships, especially since the 'talk'. He didn't really want to make anything _more_ awkward. "You guys seem real close, that's all." He hoped he didn't sound too weird.

"Blaine didn't have anything to do with it, don't worry. Jeff and I just didn't work out, that's all."

"He hurt you?" Burt let his papa-bear instincts come out. "If he did, Kurt, you tell me and I'll deal with him."

"Leave it, Dad. I can handle it myself." Burt was surprised at the amount of force in Kurt's voice. His son really was growing up.

"Fine. But you tell me if you want me to take care of him, and I will."

Kurt rolled his eyes. "Yes, Dad."

They let silence take over for a few minutes. Kurt closed his eyes and let himself settle into the pillows again, the rhythmic beeping of the heart monitor soothing him.

"Kurt?" Burt was quiet. "You didn't have, well, _you know_, with him, right?"

The heart monitor went crazy again.

"Dad!"

* * *

By the time Blaine had gotten to Kurt's house, he could barely keep his eyes open. Carole and Finn were still gone, but he found Wes and David cuddled up together on the big brown suede couch in the living room. It was kind of adorable how they were laying; David with his head on one end of the couch, Wes with his head on the other, both of them sort of hugging each other's feet. A blue chenille blanket was lying on the floor, looking like it had been kicked off, so Blaine picked it up and draped it over his friends.

"Blai-" David was cut off by a yawn.

Blaine chuckled a little. "Yeah, David?"

He rubbed his eyes and tried to focus on the boy standing in front of him. "Kurt okay?"

"He will be. Go back to sleep."

"Mkay." David dropped his head back down onto the navy blue pillow it had been on before, and immediately started snoring.

Blaine walked into the bathroom on the main floor, and when he was done, he saw a big green post-it note on the mirror.

_Blaine: go ahead and stay in Kurt's room. Our guest room is still filled with boxes, and I'm pretty sure you don't want to sleep in Finn's room. We'll wake you when we get back, sweet dreams. – Carole_

He washed his hands and turned off the light, taking the sticky note with him up the stairs. He knew where Kurt's room was, of course, but it felt a little strange to be there without him. He got to Kurt's door and smiled when he saw the black _**Kurt**_ that was stenciled on a hanging plaque. Blaine opened the door, and was greeted with a sight that made him feel like speeding back to the hospital and hugging Kurt as hard as he could. There were multiple tissues on the nightstand, next to an open photo album. The first picture he saw was of a little Kurt, probably two or three, sitting on his mother's lap. The picture on the opposite page was just one of his mother, looking small and frail in a large hospital bed while different tubes and IVs littered her arms.

The large brown (and really fuzzy) blanket was on the floor, but most of the pillows were in a big pile and pushed against the soft headboard. He could see that there was one pillow on the ground, and even though it had happened more than 12 hours ago, Blaine could see that Kurt had been holding onto it tightly; it was still smushed into a smaller shape. He picked it up, along with the blanket, kicked off his shoes, and slid into the bed. He was quickly enveloped in a scent that was pure _Kurt_: sandalwood, cinnamon, and a little bit of spearmint. He pulled the blanket over his head, careful to not move his left arm too much. He could feel it start to throb a little, and realized that he probably should have picked up some pain pills.

Blaine was starting to drift to sleep when he heard his phone beep. He groaned, but pulled it out to check who was trying to bother him now.

_Come see me today? Apparently I can't leave until Monday. – k_

He smiled and typed a quick response.

_Of course. Let me just get some sleep so I don't pass out and snore in front of you. :) – b_

He didn't have to wait long for a reply.

_I wouldn't mind. I just don't really want to be alone later, since Dad has to go talk to the cops about Finn. – k_

_I'll be there as soon as I can, but I can't promise anything, your bed is way too comfortable. – b_

_It's amazing, isn't it? Get some sleep, I'll see you later. Text me when you get up, okay? – k_

Blaine smiled and texted back that he would, then set his phone on the nightstand. He'd clean up a little once he was fully awake, but for now, he just wanted to sleep.

* * *

"Mom." Carole was driving slowly through town, trying not to cry.

"Mom." Finn was persistent, she'd give him that much. "Mom, please." She could hear his voice break.

"What, Finn?" she hadn't meant to snap at him back at the police station, but this was serious. He could end up in juvenile detention, or jail. He could get a huge fine, one that she and Burt would never be able to pay. He could have thrown away his chance at ever getting a football or glee scholarship.

"I, I'm so sorry, Mom." His voice was quiet, and she heard him sniffle. "I just wanted to make it right, I wanted to get back at him for what he did to Kurt."

"I know, Finn." She kept her eyes on the road, but moved her right hand from the steering wheel to cover the black brace on Finn's left wrist.

"Mom? What's going to happen?" he asked.

She was confused. "To you? Sweetheart, I don't know. We'll have to see what Principal Figgins and Mr. Karofsky-"

He interrupted her. "No, Mom, I don't really care about that. I mean, what's going to happen to Kurt? Is he going to have to testify or whatever? Go to court? Is he going to be okay?"

Carole was impressed with her son now. True, he had attacked someone, but that someone had gone after his step-brother. He was also in serious legal trouble, but they'd gone through hard times before, and she was sure they'd be okay eventually.

"Finn, I don't know. We'll have to wait and see what happens, alright?" she spoke a little gentler to him. "In the meantime, you can't leave town, and you'll have to not go anywhere without me or Burt, okay?"

He nodded. "Thanks, Mom."

She glanced at him. "For what?"

"For just, you know, being my mom."

She felt tears prickling at her eyes, but couldn't say anything right then.

"Ooh! Taco Bell's open! Can we get some burritos?" and there he went, ruining the moment.

* * *

_I'm over it_

_You see I'm falling in the vast abyss_

_Clouded by memories of the past_

_At last, I see_

Jeff was stretched out on his bed at home, trying not to think about Kurt. He was failing miserably.

_I hear it fading_

_I can't speak it_

_Or else you will dig my grave_

He was grateful that his parents weren't home and couldn't hear the music coming from his large cd player. They were usually pretty lax about most things, but his mother absolutely hated Disturbed. He felt a buzz next to him, and picked up his phone from it's spot by his hip.

_Turn off the shitty music and come unlock your front door. I can hear it from out here. – Si_

Jeff jumped up from his bed and walked over to his window; sure enough, Simon's Jeep Cherokee was parked in front of his house, and he saw the black-headed boy at his front door. He pushed the power button on the cd player and made his way downstairs.

"What are you doing here?" Jeff asked. He held the door open for Simon and let him by.

"I came to talk to you." He stepped out of his shoes and made his way into the main part of the house.

Jeff shut the door. "You shouldn't be here right now." He sidestepped Simon and made his way back up the stairs, knowing he would follow.

They made it all the way to Jeff's room before Simon said anything. "I heard about Kurt. Is he going to be okay?"

Jeff snorted. "Do you really care? Because last time I heard you mention Kurt, you said, and I quote, 'screw Hummel'." He slammed his door shut and crossed his arms.

"That was a 'heat of the moment' kind of thing. I don't really wish him any harm, okay? The fact that you guys are together pisses me off and yeah, I'm jealous as hell, but that doesn't mean I want him hurt."

"We're not." Jeff looked at the ground as he spoke.

"What?" Simon moved closer, wondering what Jeff was talking about.

"He broke up with me last night. At the hospital." He mumbled.

Simon didn't think, he just wrapped his arms around Jeff and pressed his lips to his cheek. "I'm sorry, Jeff."

He pushed Simon back, not wanting to be held by him at that moment. "No, you're not. You wanted this."

"Excuse me? You think I wanted you to get hurt?"

"Well you certainly didn't want me with Kurt, did you?" Jeff's voice dripped with acid. "What else was I supposed to expect?"

"You're such an idiot, you know." Simon raised his voice. "I didn't want you to get dumped, asshole. I wanted _you_ to break up with _him_. I wanted you to choose _me_ over _him_."

"You don't get it, do you?" Jeff threw his hands up in frustration. "You fucking _left_ me! You left me after we shared so much, after we did _everything_ together! Jesus, Simon, you said you loved me and then _you_ broke up with _me_ two weeks later. What kind of bullshit is that?"

"I already told you, Jeff, it was out of my hands!" Simon stomped toward him, starting to yell.

"Oh, yeah, of course it was out of your hands! Mommy's little boy just trying to make her happy. Mommy's little boy running away from who he really _fucking_ is just so she doesn't lose her precious campaign!" Jeff was in Simon's face now, yelling at the top of his lungs. "You're such a dickhead, Simon! You broke my fucking heart and you think you can get away with that? It's your fault Kurt broke up with me, it's your fault I'm hurting right now! It was your damn fault to begin with, so why don't you just get the hell-" he was silenced when Simon's lips slammed against his own, the force of the kiss propelling him back toward his bed. An angry growl was building but before he could let it out, Simon shoved him as hard as he could, making him fall back on his mattress.

"Don't you ever shut up?" Simon clambered on top of Jeff, straddling him. He didn't give Jeff a chance to reply, kissing him hard and fast. The kisses were frantic, needy, and nowhere near soft. They broke apart to breathe, and Simon took the opportunity to slide his shirt off, tossing it on the floor.

"What are you doing?" Jeff sat up, and let his hands rest on Simon's thighs.

"What do you think I'm doing?" Simon moved grabbed the hem of Jeff's t-shirt and started to pull it up. He moved his arms up in the air and helped Simon take it off, then let his hands fall back to Simon's legs.

"Why?" Jeff asked quietly, gasping a little when the other boy's hands made quick work of the knotted drawstring on his sweatpants.

"You know why." Simon stood up to unbutton his own jeans, desperate to get out of them.

"Say it." Jeff helped Simon pull off the black jeans and red boxers he was wearing, then let Simon slide off his own sweats. He gripped Simon's hips and pulled him back to the bed.

"I love you." Simon whispered. He looked down at Jeff, and saw the water in his eyes. "Don't, don't do that. I'm here, I love you." He kissed the corner of Jeff's eye, trying to catch a tear as it fell.

"You left me."

"I won't. Not again." Jeff groaned when Simon let his hips drop, letting them feel each other for the first time in a year. He meant it, too. He wouldn't leave Jeff again, he couldn't.

* * *

"No, Dad. That's too many people." Kurt was sitting up on the hospital bed, brushing his hair. His dad was standing next to him, holding up a little handheld mirror so Kurt could see what he was doing. New Directions had found out what happened to him the night before, and now everybody was out in the waiting room, wanting to see him. Kurt was still tired, and didn't really want to see anyone, but apparently his friends were badgering nurses and his father.

"Well, then how about Mercedes? I think she'd really like to see you." Burt didn't like seeing his son shut himself off from everyone, but he knew that Mercedes could get him to open up.

"Fine. She can come in. No one else. Can you tell them all I'm fine and I'll see them after I get out?" he set the brush down on the side table, and nodded for his father to set the mirror down, too.

"Yeah, I'll tell 'em. Want me to go get Mercedes?" Kurt nodded. "Alright, pal, I'll send her in. I'm gonna go talk to the doctor about your leg, okay?"

"Thanks." He smiled a little, and watched his dad leave the room. Kurt sighed when the door shut, and glanced down at his leg. It was currently on a little stand, but still on the bed. The plaster cast was black, since it went with everything, and it would be harder for people to try to sign it. It was tacky, Kurt thought, to sign a cast. Who wants everybody's signature and stupid little comments on display, on a part of their body? No, he had a black cast, and the only thing he'd be doing to it would involve his trusty bedazzler and maybe some fabric paint.

"Hey, Kurt." Mercedes' voice was quiet when she walked in, and she shut the door behind her.

"Hey, 'Cedes!" Kurt was genuinely happy to see her, but he was surprised when she didn't rush right to his bed. She hovered near the chair instead, a few feet from the bed, and wouldn't look at him. "Mercedes? What's wrong?" he could see the wetness on her face, and knew that she had been crying recently. "I'm fine, I'm going to be fine. It's just a little break, nothing too big. Don't worry!"

"I know, Kurt. I'm just really sorry." She finally looked up at him, and the tears started again.

"'Cedes, you have nothing to be sorry for. It's not like this is your fault." He reached out for her, and she let him take her hand and pull her closer.

"But Kurt, I-"

"No. Stop. This was Karofsky's fault, not yours. Now pull that chair over here and let's watch some tv. E!'s doing a Kardashian True Hollywood Story that I haven't watched yet." He smiled at her and squeezed her hand before letting it go.

"Okay." She scooted the chair closer to him, and let him take her hand again when she sat down. Kurt pushed the power button on the remote, and then started his usual tv commentary.

"Ugh, the sex tape scandal. Of course she gets famous for having sex. Ew."

* * *

"How is he, Mr. Hummel?" Blaine had just gotten back to the hospital, after a few hours of well-needed sleep, a hot shower, and a quick (but unhealthy) breakfast of Taco Bell. Finn and Carole had brought food back for all the boys in their house, at Finn's suggestion.

"He's okay. Mercedes is in there with him right now, so you might have to wait a bit before you go in." Burt sat down on one of the wooden benches in the hall outside Kurt's room, and motioned for Blaine to sit on one across from him.

"I didn't see anyone else down in the waiting room, sir, did she come here alone?" Blaine asked.

"It's Burt, not 'sir'. And no, the other kids were here, but Kurt didn't want to see them. He let Mercedes in, though."

"If he doesn't want to see them, maybe I should go too, I don't-"

"He wants to see you, trust me. His other friends get a bit crazy, though, I don't think he wanted all that attention on him. Not for this, at least."

"Oh. Okay." Blaine looked around the hall a bit awkwardly; he wasn't sure what to say.

"I got a question for you."

"Yes, sir? I, I mean Burt?" he corrected himself.

"You like my kid?" Well. That was to the point.

"Of course I do. Kurt's great, he's one of my best friends." he tried to make it sound innocent, and not like he was crushing on this man's son.

"That's not what I mean." Burt leaned forward, his hands clasped together in front of him. "I mean, do you have feelings for Kurt? Non-friend kinda feelings?"

Blaine felt blood rush to his cheeks, and knew he was probably bright pink. "S-Sir, I-"

"Burt."

He took a breath. "Burt, um, I don't really know how-"

"I saw you with him last night, you know. Singin' to him. And it's not like he's never talked about you before. Even with that kid Jeff, he would talk about you."

Blaine was a little surprised. Kurt talked about him? "Burt, I… Yeah. I like Kurt. A lot."

"Does he know this?" Burt finally leaned back, and Blaine felt like he could breathe a little easier.

"Yes. He knows." he glanced toward the door to Kurt's room, wishing he was in there with Kurt rather than out in the hall with his father. "I told him a while ago."

"My son, he's not good with this kinda stuff. You heard about the Finn fiasco?" Blaine nodded. "And apparently this Jeff kid and him broke up? I don't know what happened, and I'm not sure if I want to know. But I do know that Kurt's new to all this, and I don't want him jumpin' at the first guy that gives him the time of day."

Blaine didn't know what to say, so he just sat there, waiting for Burt to continue.

"I like you, Blaine. You're a good kid. You put yourself in danger to help out my son, and that gets you pretty high marks in my book." Blaine smiled a little at that. "I know you like him. Hell, I'm thinking you more than just 'like' him, and that's fine by me. But right now, he's hurting for a lot more reasons than that punk kid beating on him. I don't know what they all are, and I can't help him through all of it. I think you can, though."

"I'll do my best." Blaine said solemnly, knowing what Burt was trying to say. Burt knew that he couldn't always be there for his son, that Kurt wasn't always going to tell him everything, so where Burt couldn't be, Blaine had to be.

"You better." The two looked at each other for a moment, each of them grateful for the part the other played in Kurt's life.

"I'll see you later, boo." The door to Kurt's room had opened, and out walked Mercedes. "Mr. Hummel, Kurt wants to see you." She said quietly.

"Thanks, Mercedes. See ya later, kiddo." He reached out and gave her a quick hug, then went inside the room and shut the door.

"Mercedes." Blaine's voice was cold when he called her name. She turned around, a confused look on her face.

"Blaine? Oh, hey, I didn't even notice you there." She smiled a little at him.

He stood up and moved toward her, crossing his arms as he did. "Who all did you tell?"

She looked confused. "What?"

"About Karofsky. About the kiss." His voice was low; he didn't want anyone to hear them.

"W-what?" her voice shook. "How do you…" her voice trailed off.

"I was the only person that knew. He called me right after it happened. All of a sudden, Karofsky attacks Kurt out in the middle of nowhere? I hear Kurt whimpering on the drive over about 'how did he know' and 'how did he hear'? He told the cops everything last night, except for who all knew about the kiss."

"Blaine, I wasn't going to say anything, I swear, I just-"

"Is that why you're so upset? Not just because Kurt got hurt, but because you think it was your fault?" he was getting angry now. Mercedes had opened her mouth just like she had done before (he knew all about babygate), and now more people were getting hurt.

"I'm so sorry, Blaine, I never wanted this to happen. I never _thought_ it would happen!" she was trying to defend herself.

"You obviously didn't think at all, did you? Mercedes, you're Kurt's _best friend_. You've got to be able to keep secrets for him if you have that title. He trusted you with this huge, massive secret because he thought you could be quiet about it. I don't know why he told you, or what made him tell you, but he thought he could trust you. Apparently he can't."

Tears were starting to run down her face, and she couldn't bring herself to talk.

"I don't know exactly how everything unfolded, but I do know that you probably started it. I'm not saying that Kurt's in the hospital because of you, just that you telling people about Karofsky probably got him pissed off enough to go after him." He took a deep breath and tried to calm himself down. If he didn't watch it, he'd end up screaming at her. "You should probably leave, Mercedes. Go home, and wait for Kurt to call you if he wants to talk to you. But you've got to tell him exactly what you did. He deserves that much."

She nodded, then turned to leave.

"Mercedes?" she looked back at him. "I know you love him. I know you want the best for him. You've just really got to think things through from now on, okay?" he may have been pissed at her, but he didn't want her to hate him.

"I'll, I'll try. Thank you, Blaine." She looked down, then glanced back up at him. "You really love him, don't you?"

He didn't know what to say. That was the second person that morning who pointed out his feelings to him, and he wondered if it was that obvious.

"You're good for him, Blaine." She wiped away her tears, then walked away.

* * *

"No way. Are you kidding me?" Kurt laughed at something on the tv screen. Blaine wasn't paying much attention, he was more focused on Kurt. "Oh, wow. I cannot believe she just said that! Can you?" he turned to look at Blaine, but was caught off-guard when he saw that he was already staring at him. "Um, Blaine?" he asked quietly.

"Sorry, sorry." Blaine turned to face the tv again.

"No, it's fine." Kurt smiled a little and reached for the bag of popcorn Blaine had smuggled in. "It's fine."

True, he was stuck in the hospital with bruised ribs, a fractured tibia and more bumps and bruises than he wanted to count, but Blaine was with him. And yeah, he was still reeling a bit from everything that had happened in the past week (Jeff, Karofsky, various arguments), but at that moment, he didn't really care.

"She didn't just take off her underwear in the cab, did she?"

Kurt shook his head. "Blaine, it's Lindsay Lohan. She's nuts."

* * *

Monday had gone by extremely slow for Blaine, and he could barely hold in his excitement to get back to Lima. He had spent his lunch hour going to each of Kurt's teachers to get his assignments for the week, and was now pulling into his driveway, a smile plastered to his face.

"Come on in, sweetheart. Burt's helping Kurt down the stairs for dinner, he'll be down in a few minutes." Carole held the door open for Blaine.

"Oh, I guess I'll drop these off and head back to campus then." He should have waited to come over; it was close to 5, and he should have known they'd be eating dinner.  
"No! I set an extra place at the table for you already, you're staying for dinner. You drove two hours to bring Kurt his homework, the least we could do is feed you." She smiled broadly, and ushered him into the living room. "Just drop his stuff there, you guys can go upstairs and study after you eat. Is vegetarian lasagna okay for you?"

He slipped off his polished shoes and left them on the mat next to Finn's giant sneakers, set his overstuffed messenger bag on the floor, and followed Carole into the dining room.

"Hey, Blaine, what's up?" Finn lumbered over to him and pulled him into a tight hug.

"Uh, I'm good, Finn. You?" it was a little strange to be hugged like that by Finn, but he didn't mind so terribly; Finn was a good guy, and was probably just grateful to Blaine for the part he played in helping Kurt.

"I'm doing okay. This whole assault thing sucks, but we're still waiting on Figgins and Mr. Douchebag-"

"Finn!"

"Sorry, Mom!" Finn apologized. "Figgins and _Mr. Karofsky_ to figure out what they wanna do."

"Hopefully you don't get in serious trouble, man. That would really suck." Blaine really didn't want anything to happen to Finn; Kurt would just feel like it was his fault.

"Yeah, we all hope that. Finn would probably cry himself to sleep if he went to juvie." Blaine spun around when he heard Kurt's voice, and saw him leaning on his father, just a few feet away.

"Dude. Not cool." Finn grumbled, then walked away to help his mother bring in the food.

"Kurt, be nice to your brother." Burt laughed a little and helped Kurt get to his chair at the table. "Blaine? Can you get the footstool thing out of the living room?" he pointed in the general direction.

"Ottoman, Dad. Ottoman." Kurt shook his head.

"Whatever." Burt rolled his eyes. "Thanks." Blaine situated the ottoman next to Kurt's chair and watched as his father helped him sit down, then lifted his leg. Kurt winced a little, and Blaine had to stop himself from asking if he was okay.

"Alright boys, homemade veggie lasagna with white rice as a side, then some sugar-free rice krispie treats for dessert. Dig in." Carole and Finn set the dishes full of food onto the table, then sat down.

"Kurt, can't we have normal food for once?" Finn whined as he put a large spoon into the rice dish.

"This _is_ normal food, Finn. It's just healthy." Kurt rolled his eyes.

"I'm with Finn on this one." Burt's voice was quiet, almost as if he didn't want Kurt to hear him.

"Oh, no you don't, Dad. The whole reason we started eating healthier is because of what happened to you, and frankly, I'm glad that we no longer have a single bag of Cheetos in this house."

"No Cheetos?" Blaine asked, bewildered.

"Yeah, no Cheetos. There's something wrong with him." Finn leaned over to Blaine. "I think he's crazy." Blaine couldn't help but laugh.

"Mr. Anderson, you are _not_ helping matters!" Kurt glared at Blaine, who just sat back and kept laughing. He really enjoyed spending time with Kurt and his family, and the fact that Kurt's attitude seemed to have come back made everything that much better.

* * *

"Do you think Oscar Wilde was gay?"

Kurt nearly spit out the Diet Coke he was drinking. "What?"

The boys were in Kurt's room, set up on his bed with all their homework around them. It was a little after 6 pm, and Blaine knew he should be on his way back to Dalton, but he had decided to stick around and do homework with Kurt.

"Seriously, do you think he was gay?"

"Blaine, sometimes I worry about you." He shook his head and turned back to his math, trying to get it out of the way first.

"Oh, how sweet." Blaine laughed. "You worry about me."

"Let me clarify: I worry about your mental state, Blaine. Your mental state." He laughed at the look Blaine gave him; one eyebrow arched up, and his mouth in a mock scowl.

"Says the guy who glued rhinestones to his cast. I mean, seriously, Kurt?"

"What? They're fashionable." Kurt turned his attention back to the problem he was working on, and let the silence fill the room. It wasn't uncomfortable, just nice. They continued like that for a while, both of them working on homework, listening to the quiet music coming from Kurt's iPod dock, until Blaine moved his arm wrong and let out a hiss.

"Shit." He groaned, and lifted his arm to his chest.

"You alright, Blaine?" Kurt looked up to see a flash of pain on Blaine's face.

"Yeah, it's nothing. Just pulled at the stitches a little, I'll be fine." He pulled back the white sleeve of his shirt to reveal the long line of little black stitches, the skin around them looking red and angry.

Kurt reached a hand out and lightly touched his wrist, a question on his face. "Blaine?"

He could barely think straight with Kurt touching him, even if it was just his stupid wrist. "Y-yeah, Kurt?" Smooth. Real smooth.

"You said something before, in the hospital. Something about stitches?"

Blaine knew what was coming.

"You said you'd tell me about something that happened to you before. Can you, can you tell me now?" Kurt saw the hesitancy on Blaine's face, and moved his hand away. "I mean, if you don't want to-" Blaine grabbed his hand before he could completely pull away.

"No, it's okay. I can tell you. I mean, I'll probably have to show you, but I can tell you how it happened." He was nervous, yeah, but if telling Kurt what he went through would make him feel better about the attack, then it would be worth it.

"Show me?" Kurt asked. "What do you mean?"

Blaine let go of Kurt's hand (he really didn't want to) and moved to get off the bed.

"Where are you going?" Kurt sounded a little panicked.

"I'm not going anywhere, I just had to stand up to show you, it makes it easier." He stood next to Kurt on his side of the bed, and started unbuttoning his shirt.

"Um, Blaine?" Kurt was turning red.

Blaine laughed a little. "Don't worry, I'm not completely undressing." He smiled at Kurt, then finished with his shirt. He set it next to Kurt, then took a deep breath before he slipped off the white undershirt and bunched it in his hands. He heard Kurt gasp (a very quiet one, he barely heard it) and smiled, turning a little red as he did.

"W-what are you supposed to be showing me, Blaine? I mean, if my dad or Carole come in-" Blaine turned around quickly, revealing his strong back to Kurt for the first time. "Oh, Blaine." He heard pity in Kurt's voice.

"See?" he said. "Not my first time with stitches."

"Come closer." Kurt spoke up. Blaine took a couple steps back. "No, like, sit down. Let me see." Blaine tried to quiet the warning voices in his head screaming that Kurt was going to be disgusted with him and what he looked like, and sat down on the edge of the bed, a few inches away from Kurt. He didn't expect to feel soft, warm fingers on his back, tracing the three long scars. They stretched from the far side of one shoulder to the other, three perfectly straight lines, about an inch between each one.

"What happened?" Kurt asked, his voice almost a whisper. He let his fingers trace the deep pink lines, wanting to just make him feel better. He felt Blaine's lungs expand, and heard the shaky breath he took. "Blaine, you can tell me anything, you know that."

"I know, Kurt. I just don't like to think about it." He took another breath, and started talking, enjoying the feel of Kurt's hands on him.

"I was a freshman, 14 years old. I wasn't popular, at all, and I don't think I even had one friend. Well, I had my sister, but she wasn't at school with me, she was 22 then. Anyway, I usually kept to myself, just doing my work, not really answering questions in class, just really quiet. It was easier. I had come out to my sister when I was 13, and to my parents just a few days after that. They were all really supportive, even my dad. I got lucky, I guess, with everyone being so great. Most kids who come out don't get that."

"I know." Kurt sighed, letting his hand stop on Blaine's right shoulder. "We both got really lucky." Blaine nodded, then continued.

"I was lucky at home, but not so much at school. I told you I was bullied?" he turned to see Kurt nod. "I was made fun of by most everyone, but there were three main guys who were the worst. Shawn Addams, Mark Schneider, and Christian Walker. Mark and Shawn were juniors, and Christian was a sophomore, but he was on most of the varsity teams. They were the stars of our high school athletics program, and Christian was also really big in the theater program. He was kind of the all-American boy, you know? Smart, funny, attractive, athletic, popular, all that."

"You liked him." Kurt didn't phrase it as a question; he knew.

"Y-yeah. I did." He felt so embarrassed.

"Blaine, you forget. I had a crush on Finn. Crushing on straight popular boys is something I am definitely _not_ going to judge you for." Kurt brought his other hand up to rest on Blaine's shoulders, and started giving him a light massage, trying to keep him calm enough to continue with his story.

"I had a crush on Christian. It was awful and embarrassing and even though I knew nothing would come of it, I still had that stupid little hope in the back of my mind. Even when he would call me a fag when he would walk by me, I still liked the sound of his voice. I always figured I was just screwed up, liking him. I never told anyone, of course, but I think he could tell. I'm not the greatest at keeping the object of my affection in the dark."

Kurt laughed a little at that. "True, true. Robin Thicke songs aren't really the best way to tell a guy you like him." Blaine smiled.

"I didn't sing to Christian, just so you know. I guess I was just too nice to him in the halls, or in the AP science class I was in with him, but he figured it out. After that, it got worse. It wasn't just yelling names at me, or saying hurtful things, it escalated. The first time was just a locker slam. Mark walked by me on my way to guitar class one morning, and clocked me with his shoulder, hard. I hit the locker before I knew what had happened."

"I'm so sorry, Blaine." Kurt sounded sad.

"Oh, it got worse from there. More embarrassing, too. About a week after the locker pushes started, I had an incident with all my clothes during PE. We had been playing soccer, and it was raining outside, so I was covered in mud. I had gotten a pass from my teacher to be late to my next hour, and took a shower. My dirty gym clothes were in a hamper in the locker room, and my clean clothes were in my gym locker. I just had my towel. I'm not sure which one did it, or how many of them, but when I was done with my shower, I went out to get dressed. None of my clothes were in my locker. My backpack was left alone, but my clothes, cell phone and iPod were gone. I went to go get my dirty clothes from the hamper, and it was empty."

"They took your clothes?" Kurt sounded shocked.

"Yeah. And it was only 5th hour, I still had two more classes to go. I couldn't bear to leave the locker room and go looking for my teacher, so I just grabbed my backpack and hid in the shower stall until he came back. He didn't come back in until 7th hour was almost over. He called my parents, asked them to bring me spare clothes and take me home. It sucked, a lot. That was when they first really found out about what was going on, and went to the principal. He acted sympathetic, but basically said that there was no proof that Mark, Christian and Shawn had been the ones to do it, so there was nothing he could do. After that, though, they had chilled out a bit, they kind of left me alone. There was one day, though, when it blew back up. Bad." He stopped for a second, afraid to go on.

"Blaine?" Kurt was quiet again.

"Yeah, Kurt?" he faced him, concerned that he would have him stop.

"Come up here." Kurt lifted himself up a little (Blaine saw his muscles stretch under the strain) and moved over, leaving enough room that Blaine could lie next to him. "Seriously, get up here. I didn't lift my ass all the way over here to have you stare at me like that." Blaine laughed, then stood up. "Don't go!"

"Kurt, I'm not going anywhere, I told you." He shook his head, then showed Kurt the white undershirt in his hands. "I'm putting this back on. It wouldn't do any good for your dad to walk in and see me half-naked, lying in your bed."

Kurt had to agree, that wouldn't be a good thing. He watched as Blaine pulled the shirt over his head, ruffling his hair a little more, then smiled when Blaine crawled next to him and laid on his side.

"'Kay. Now tell me the rest." Kurt wanted to know what happened, what gave Blaine those scars.

"It started at lunch, I guess. I had the same lunch as Christian and Mark, and everyone usually left me alone. I sat at a table with a few other kids, but none of us were really friends, we just sat with each other so we wouldn't be alone. I, uh, had a bad habit of writing down whatever I was thinking in this little notebook I used to carry on me. It was mainly for my song writing and some poetry here and there, writing the music to go along with it, but every once in a while I wrote down other things. Things like… like Christian's name. Not on purpose, but sometimes I'd just be thinking of him and I'd look down, and there would be his name."

"I've done that. I think you'll find a name or two you recognize if you were to look through my Moleskine…" Kurt smiled.

"I'm sure I would." Blaine's smile matched Kurt's for a moment, but fell away when he began to talk again. "Mark and Christian were leaving the lunchroom, and ended up passing me. I had my notebook open and was writing, and I guess they must have seen what I wrote, because the next thing I knew, Mark was laughing as loud as he could, and Christian was bright red. They didn't say anything, but they left pretty quickly after that. I didn't know what to do after that, other than just lay low, lower than I had been. The rest of the day went by kind of fast, and as soon as 7th hour was out, I went outside to wait for Mia. She usually picked me up in the back of the building, because I hated waiting out front with the other kids, so I was back there, waiting for her when they came."

Kurt took Blaine's hands in his own, trying to give him a little bit of comfort; he knew this wasn't easy.

"I was by the dumpsters. It was a good place to hide, usually, because the jocks never went back there. This time, though, they did. I think they were looking for me, or maybe following me. Not sure. But they came up to me, Christian in front, Mark and Shawn behind him. He called me a fag. Asked me why I thought I had the right to want him. I just kept quiet, hoped they'd get bored and leave, but they didn't. Shawn came up on my right side and knocked my bag out of my arms, then Mark picked it up and tossed it in the dumpster. I thought I was next, but they didn't throw me in, instead they… Mark kicked me in the stomach, and Shawn kicked the back of my knees. I ended up on the ground, but still on my knees. That was when Christian came over, and stood right in front of me. I was right at the level for, well, yeah. And he knew it. He called me a 'nasty little cocksucker'." Kurt gasped. "Yeah. Asked me if I'd like to do that to him. I just kept my mouth shut, tried not to cry. It didn't matter, though, he still kept saying that crap to me. He stopped, though, after a while. I thought he was done, thought they'd leave. But Mark and Shawn pulled me up instead, and Christian got in my face. I didn't know how close I was to the dumpster, but he shoved me back until I hit it. I felt these sharp points in my back, and I found out later that it was where the dumpster edges had been torn by the levers on the garbage truck. I tried to move, to get away, but he just pushed his arm into my chest, like this." Blaine moved his right arm against Kurt's chest, his hand on his right shoulder, and elbow against his left. "He leaned real close to me, and for a second, I thought he might kiss me. It was stupid, I know, but that's what it felt like. He just said something though."

"What did he say?" Kurt hadn't let Blaine move his arm, and was now hugging it to his chest.

"He told me I deserved to die. Then he pushed me back as hard as he could, with the points in my right shoulder. I felt them go in, and I started to scream. He just clamped a hand over my mouth, then pushed me to the side. It ripped my skin open, I could feel it. I could feel every tiny bit of it, could _hear_ my skin tearing apart. It felt like it took hours, but it was probably over in seconds. Christian finally let go of me, and I just dropped to the ground, like a sack of flour. I'm not sure how long I was there, but after a bit I heard Mia's car pull up. She was always blasting her Godsmack cds, and when I heard 'Serenity', I knew she was there. It didn't take her long to find me, she knew where I usually waited for her. I don't remember much after that. Apparently I passed out, due to blood loss." He let out a dark laugh. "I'm good at that, too. Anyway, I woke up at the hospital later that day. I had 72 stitches altogether, 24 for each cut."

"Blaine…" Kurt didn't say anything else, he just held tighter to Blaine's arm.

"My parents spoke to the police, and the principal. Both of them said that there wasn't really anything they could do, since there wasn't any proof. The principal even said that they couldn't prove I hadn't done it to myself to get them into trouble."

"Are you freaking _serious_?" Kurt's eyes were wide.

"They were star athletes, Kurt. Hadn't ever done anything wrong before, they were the 'good kids' and I was just the school's token gay kid. There wasn't any reason for them to do what I was accusing them of."

"Then what happened?"

"Mia had been researching private schools for a while by then. She hadn't even told me about it. She sat all of us down the night I went home, and showed them the brochure for Dalton. My parents made the decision the next day to send me there, and that was that. I was no longer a public school student. I told you I ran, Kurt. I did. I didn't face them, not after that. I haven't even seen them."

"Blaine! You didn't really have a choice in leaving, it sounds like it would have just gotten worse if you had stayed!" Kurt's voice was urgent.

"No, Kurt, I was a cowa-"

"So help me god, Blaine Anderson, if you finish that sentence I will smack you with a crutch." He pointed at one of the silver crutches resting by his night stand (it was bedazzled, too). "You are _not_ a coward. You were in hell, and you had to get out. And if you think you were a coward, that you ran, then what would that make me? I did the exact same thing as you."

Blaine sat up. "No! You're not a coward, you were suffering, your life was threatened, you couldn't stay there!"

Kurt pulled himself up, and glared at Blaine. "Idiot, same thing happened to you. You don't think getting your back _torn open_ constituted a threat on your life? Blaine, if anything, we were both in dangerous situations and had to leave, okay?"

Blaine sighed. "Kurt, no one actually _said_ anything about threatening my life, it's different from what happened to you. Karofsky threatened to kill you, and then he pretty much acted on it." A vision of Kurt lying on the cold cement with Karofsky's foot coming at him flashed in Blaine's mind, making him shake almost imperceptibly.

"Listen to me, Blaine." His face was turned away from Kurt, so he cupped Blaine's chin and turned it back toward him. "You didn't do anything wrong. You're not a coward. You were attacked, and so was I. We had to get out before it got worse. That's it, okay?" Blaine just looked even more sad; Kurt had to fix that. "If you hadn't left, do you think you ever would have met me? Would you have been able to give me the advice to leave? If you're so concerned about me, Blaine, then what do you think would have happened if you hadn't been there Friday night? Do you think I'd be here right now? Do you think I'd just have a stupid broken leg and some bruised ribs, or would it be worse?"

"Kurt-"

"If it wasn't for you, I have no idea what would have happened to me. You saved me, Blaine. _You_." Kurt noticed the tears falling from Blaine's eyes before Blaine did, and he reached up to wipe them away. He felt a hand wrap around his wrist, holding it in place.

"I had to. I don't want to know what life would be like without you, Kurt. I know you probably don't feel the way I do, and I know everything with Jeff and Simon has really fucked things up in your head but I just-"

"Blaine? Do me a favor, and shut up." Kurt pulled Blaine's face closer, and smelled that signature 'Blaine' smell of coffee and peppermint. Blaine barely had time to react to the closeness before his lips _finally_ met Kurt's in a sweet, slow kiss. Kurt felt Blaine's arms pull him in, felt the warmth that was his chest. He held fast to his face, never wanting to let go, never wanting it to end. The kisses he had with Jeff were nothing like this; there was love here. Actual _love_.

The two boys kept holding each other tight, kept kissing, their homework forgotten. Kurt got to run his hands through Blaine's curly hair, finally feeling just how soft it was. Blaine got to feel the strong muscles in Kurt's back, moving and stretching as they laid down together, not bothering to stop kissing. Kurt smiled into the kiss, though, when he heard the song that was playing on his iPod. The song had never been more true to him than in that moment.

_Something has changed within me_

_Something is not the same_

_I'm through with playing by the rules of someone else's game_

_Too late for second-guessing_

_Too late to go back to sleep_

_It's time to trust my instincts_

_Close my eyes and leap…_

* * *

**Next: Where do we go from here?**


	12. The Label

**A/N: No real note today, folks, just enjoy.**

* * *

"Owie, that looks like it hurts." Mia's concerned face looked out at Blaine from his laptop.

"Honestly, it feels worse now than when it happened. I guess that means it's healing, right? The ones on my back were killer the week afterward." He pulled his sleeve back down, careful not to disturb the stitches.

"If feeling like crap is a sign of healing, then I must be healing great." He could see some of the hospital room around her, and could hear the random beeping sounds from various machines.

"When do you start chemo? They tell you yet?" The surgery to remove the tumor had been on the 11th, immediately after Mia had called to tell him what was going on.

"They want to get me started ASAP, probably the first week of May. They said that since I'm young enough and in good enough health, they think I'll be able to handle intense chemo."

"Intense?" he looked at her. "Just how intense?"

"Not really sure. I'll pretty much do anything to get rid of this crap, though. I want it gone." She sighed, and ran a hand through her dark wavy hair. "But enough about me. I Skyped you to talk about Kurt. 'Babies' Kurt. You hit that yet?" Mia had no tact.

"Mia!" Blaine squeaked. He blushed a deep red, grateful that Wes was still out with his girlfriend. "No, I did not 'hit that'." He used air quotes.

"Shame. I checked him out on YouTube. He's a little hottie. Have you seen him in his cheerleading uniform? Damn." She fanned herself.

"W-where did you find it? Do you have the link?" he sat up straight, hopeful at the idea of seeing Kurt in the cheer outfit for real, not just in his fantasies. Not that he had fantasies about that. Nope.

"Maybe I'll send it to you. If you tell me what's going on with you guys. You said you hung out with him yesterday after school, but you didn't say anything else. He break up with that blonde twit yet?"

Blaine shook his head, wondering how Mia got through life saying whatever was on her mind.

"I take that as a no?" she asked.

"No, it's not a 'no'. Kurt broke up with Jeff on Friday night, in the hospital." He saw Mia's eyes widen. "Oh, that's not even the big part. Apparently Jeff cheated on Kurt with his ex-boyfriend, someone we all thought was straight. It's crazy."

"No kidding. You sure you're not all being filmed for some show on Fox? Some Truman Show thing?"

"At this point, anything seems possible. Anyway, he broke up with Jeff, so they're no longer together. I haven't seen Jeff today, or yesterday. He wasn't at rehearsal, so I'm not sure what's going on."

"Who cares? Little Kurtie is single, now you can go after him." She wiggled her eyebrows.

"Don't call him that. That makes him sound like a little kid, it makes me feel like a creeper." He shuddered.

"You're not a creeper unless you're actually doing something with him, and since you're not-" she stopped when she saw him look away from the webcam, his face blushing again. "Wait. Hey. Are you…?" she asked.

"I don't know!" he exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air. "I mean, I told him about everything that happened at Eastway High, the attack, all that. Then we kept talking, or, _I_ kept talking, and then he kissed me and then we made out forever. Like, forever. Then we kind of fell asleep together, and I woke up at 7:30 last night and had to hurry out to get back to Dalton." It all came out in a rush, Mia's expression getting more and more amused as he went.

"Wow."

"Yeah."

"So is he your boyfriend?" she asked, a grin on her face.

"Um…"

"Oh, Jesus, Blaine, you didn't ask him out? You just macked on him for 'forever' as you say, then left? Tell me you've talked to him today." She had a warning edge in her voice.

"Well, uh, I've been busy today, and I haven't had ti-"

"Get off the computer and call the boy. Do it before I come down there and make you."

"You're not coming down here, don't say that. You know you've got to stay there and heal, you can't threaten me with a visit."

"Bullshit, little brother. Bull. They're releasing me today, or did you forget? Paul's filling out the release paperwork now. I should be on my way home in less than an hour." She smiled.

"An hour? Mia, that's awesome." He grinned back at her.

"Yup. I'll be home, sweet home, in Newark."

He lost the grin. "Wait, what?"

"Don't look so confused, Blainey. I'm moving home for a bit. Paul, Mom, Dad and I talked it over, and it's easier for me to stay at home and go do my chemo in Columbus, at Dad's hospital. It makes sense. I wouldn't be home alone, someone would always be there to help me. Mom's going to cut her hours at her bakery, and Dad's a doctor, Blaine, he can help me with anything medical."

She had a point; it would be easier for his family to watch over her instead of her busy husband. "But what about Paul? Is he coming home too, or is he staying there?"

"He's staying in Indiana over the week, but will be with me on the weekends."

"Wow, that's a lot of traveling." A three and a half hour drive, just one way.

"I told him he didn't have to but-"

"But I want to do it." Paul's face popped into the screen. Blaine waved at his brother-in-law, who looked a little rough. His normally short brown hair had grown out a little, he had large bags under his eyes, and it was obvious he hadn't shaved for a while.

"Good. If you weren't, I'd have to beat you." Blaine smiled.

Paul laughed. "Hey, buddy, we gotta get going. They're discharging her now." The smile on his face was genuine; he must have been so relieved to get her out of the hospital.

"Alright, guys, love you both. I'll see you soon, Mia, call me when you get home. I'll be there this weekend."

"I will. And you, you call that hottie boy of yours, ask him out nice and proper. Once you do that, you get the cheerleading link." She winked at him. He saw Paul's confusion, and just laughed.

"Yeah, yeah. Talk to you guys later." He waved, then shut his computer after she logged off. He glanced at his phone, wondering if he should ask Kurt to be his boyfriend (boyfriend!) over the phone, or if he should do it in person. Before he had a chance to really think about it, it started to ring.

_If I had you_

_That would be the only thing I'd ever need_

_If I had you_

_Money, fame and fortune never could compete_

_If I had you_

"Hello, Kurt." he grinned.

* * *

"Lisssten here, you little-"

"Sue! No! You need to leave my office!" Figgins was in his chair, his hands raised in front of his face in defense. Sue Sylvester was dressed in an all black track suit, with red stripes down the side. Her normally ash-blonde hair was covered in a dark black wig, and her blue eyes were now red, thanks to colored contacts.

"Figginsss!" she hissed, the 's' lasting longer thanks to her fake fangs.

"N-no!" he whimpered.

"You will not presss chargesss on the Hudssson boy." She growled, her voice low and menacing. She walked closer to him, then slammed her hands on his desk. He jumped in fear, and she suspected he may have wet himself, judging by the awkward way he was sitting.  
"Please, Sue!"

"I am not Sssue! I am the dark vampire lord Sssylve- Sssyl, and you _will lisssten to me_!" she didn't need to make her name too different, Figgins was afraid enough of the vampire get-up that she was sure she could say any name and he'd still freak out.

"Yes! Yes!" he cried out.

"Leave the boy alone, Figginsss, or you will sssuffer my wrath!" she leaned closer to him, and hissed again.

"I won't press charges! I swear, I swear!" she saw the tears in his eyes, and backed off. He wouldn't press the charges now, she knew it.

"If you do, I will come back and make sssure you join our ranksss!" she spun around, gracefully leaving his office before he could scream loud enough to attract any more attention.

She knew all about what had happened at the school on Friday night. She didn't like that Hudson kid much, Q was a bit too obsessed with him the year before, and it made her cheering suffer. But he was Porcelain's stepbrother now, and he was just protecting him after he had been attacked. Porcelain was her favorite Cheerio (not that she'd admit it), and after what that Karofsky kid did to him when he was a student, and what he did that weekend, Hudson had done right in her mind. It wasn't fair for him to get in trouble for watching out for his stepbrother.

* * *

"Paul, Dave's in some serious trouble here." Nathan Williams, a tall but scrawny gray-haired man was sitting across from the two others.

"Nate, I get that. Trust me, I get that." Paul Karofsky sat back in his chair and tried to clear his head. His wife's brother had been kind enough to offer his legal services at no charge, and he was a damn good lawyer.

"What do you want to do? I mean, that Hudson kid attacked your kid, do you want to press charges?"

Paul looked to his right, and looked at his son for a moment. Dave hadn't really spoken since Friday night, and his suspected it wasn't just from the cracked jaw, although the strange headgear didn't help. "Dave? What do you want to do?"

He shrugged, not looking at his father or uncle, but staring at the ground. The orange jumpsuit was itchy, and his head hurt. They would only give him two Tylenol, nothing else, and the pain wouldn't subside.

"Come on, son, you've got to say something here. Or write it down. We've got to figure out what to do, and we need your input." Paul motioned to the dull pencil and pad of paper on the table. The guards at the juvenile detention center had provided them, but he hadn't used it yet.

"Dave!" Nathan yelled, trying to get his nephew's attention.

"No." it was quiet, barely a whisper, but they heard it.

"What?" Paul turned toward him, not sure of what exactly he said.

"Don't. No charges." He spoke it a little louder, but still slow. It hurt him too much to speak.

"What? Why?" Nathan was confused.

"Deserved it." He closed his eyes.

"Dave?"

"I hurt him. Could have killed him. No charges." He turned away, pleading with the tears not to fall.

"Seriously? You've got to be kidding me." Nathan dropped his hands to the cold metal table, exasperated. "Dave! That kid's stepbrother attacked you! Broke your bones, put you in the hospital!"

"No charges." He opened his eyes, and stood up. Before his dad or uncle could say anything else, he walked over to the guard and nodded. "I'm done."

* * *

_She can be 18, 18 wit' an attitude_

_Or 19 kinda snotty, actin' real rude_

_But as long as you're a thicky thicky thick girl_

_You know that it's on, know that it's on_

Kurt didn't particularly like Nelly, but "Ride Wit Me" always reminded him of New Directions, ever since their impromptu jam session the year before. Having to stay home from Dalton and watch Finn go off to school affected him more than he thought it would, and he found himself missing McKinley.

_Hey, boo, I'm here. The door unlocked? – CeCe_

He texted Mercedes back, and waited for her to come into the living room. His dad had initially wanted him to stay in his room, but after only one day up there, he wanted to be downstairs. As much as he liked his bedroom, he wanted to be around other people.

"Mercedes!" he smiled when the front door opened, revealing a kind of mopey girl he barely recognized as his friend. Her normally fun and colorful clothes had been replaced by ratty jeans and a plain purple hoodie, not a single animal print or rhinestone in sight. "Whoa, honey, what's wrong? Everything okay at school today?" He glanced back at his phone; it was just 3:17, school had just gotten out.

"Yeah, school was fine." She shut the front door and slipped off her shoes (plain black Converse, what was wrong with the girl?), then made her way to the chair next to Kurt. "Where's Finn?" she asked, sitting down.

"He's going to Rachel's. Now tell me what's up with you, you don't look like yourself." He was concerned.

She took a long look at him, taking in everything about his appearance. He was propped up in the middle of the couch, his left leg resting on the ottoman. He wore a pair of what she assumed was Finn's sweats, since the hem of the right leg went far past his toes; she couldn't see his foot. They were baggy enough that they covered his cast, and she felt guilty about being glad she couldn't see it.

"I'm just tired." She gave him a half-hearted smile.

"Bull." He set down his English homework and turned off the iPod, then waited for Mercedes to speak.

"I'm so sorry, Kurt. Please, don't hate me." She looked at him, her eyes watery.

"What are you so sorry for? And please, I could never hate you. Tell me what's going on?" his voice was tender. He wanted to move closer to her, to take her hands in his own, but he knew that moving would hurt too much. He settled for leaning closer to her.

"I told Quinn." She was quiet, letting a few tears spill.

"Told Quinn what?" Kurt asked.

"About what happened to you."

"Uh, Cedes, I think all of New Directions knows I was attacked. My phone's been blowing up since then." He held it up, showing a whopping 217 messages, just in the last day.

"No, Kurt. I told her about…" she looked away. "I told her what you told me. About Karofsky kissing you." She didn't want to see his reaction.

"… Who did she tell?" Kurt's voice was surprisingly even; he didn't sound upset in the least.

Mercedes looked up at him, hopeful. She looked down again when she saw the rage in his eyes. "Puck."

"And Puck told Finn." The anger was seeping through, and Kurt was trying his hardest not to scream at her.

"Yeah. I don't know how Karofsky found out, though, I swear. I have no idea-"

"Stop." Kurt snapped. "Just stop. He said something about a phone call, so I'm assuming someone overheard you telling Quinn, or her telling Puck, or Puck telling Finn, so somewhere along the way it got back to Karofsky."

"Kurt, I'm sorr-"

"Stop saying that!" He yelled, his normally pale face now blotchy and red. "Instead of saying sorry, don't do anything to _be_ sorry for!" he saw her flinch. "Mercedes! I trusted you, and you screwed me over."

"I know." She whispered, not bothering to stop the tears that rolled down her cheeks.

"I trusted you, and you couldn't help yourself, could you? You just let me believe that you would keep your promises for once, and you did nothing of the sort. How am I supposed to trust you if you can't keep your promises?" he was really hurt, how could his best friend do this?

She didn't say anything.

"Look at me." She didn't. "Look at me!" he shouted again. She finally looked up at him. "I love you, Cedes, but he could have killed me. Do you get that? He was beating the hell out of me, and if it hadn't been for Blaine, I don't know what could have happened." He tried not to think about it, he really did, but since his talk with Blaine the night before (and the kissing, oh, god, the kissing), it was hard not to. Karofsky could have just kept going, and going, not stopping until he ran out of energy. Kurt could have ended up de-

"I know. And I understand if you don't want to be my friend anymore. I'll see you later, Kurt." Mercedes got up from the chair, sniffling a little as she went.

"You're not getting off that easy, Mercedes." She turned to face him. "I may be pissed at you, and yeah, I don't want to have anything to do with you for a while. But you need to talk to the police. You, Quinn, and Puck. I'll give the cops your cell number, expect a call." His voice was cold.

"Alright." She sighed. "Kurt?"

"What?" his voice softened a bit, starting to feel bad for yelling at her. He knew she deserved it though, so he tried to hide his guilt.

"I really am sorry, you know. I love you, you know that, right?" she looked so hopeful, so scared.

"Yeah. I know. I love you too." He paused. "But that doesn't change anything here. You still screwed up, big time. You need to face the consequences, then maybe we can work on our friendship." There. He gave her a little bit of hope, but still let her know she was in deep shit.

"I will. Bye, Kurt." she slid her shoes back on, and walked out the door.

"Bye, Cedes." He said, after the door had shut. He leaned back on the couch cushion and closed his eyes. He wasn't sure how to feel in that moment; his supposed 'best friend' had majorly betrayed him, and because of that, he had been attacked. He really needed someone to talk to about all this, and he smiled when he thought of the one person who would really understand. Reaching for his phone, he typed in "1" for the first person on speed dial. It took just a few rings, but he grinned wider when he heard the voice on the other line pick up.

"Hello, Kurt." He really liked the way Blaine said his name…

* * *

"So Blaine and his parents are coming over tomorrow for dinner, right?" Burt asked before shoveling a spoonful of mashed potatoes into his mouth.

Kurt tried to keep his voice steady, and not show how nervous he was about it. "Yeah, they'll be over around five. His family lives in Newark, so it'll take them a bit to get here."

Finn looked over at Kurt for a minute, noticing the light pink blush on his cheeks. "Dude, you okay? You're kind of pink. Want me to get you more meds?"

Kurt cursed inwardly at how attentive Finn had become over the past few days. "No, Finn, I'm good." His voice had an edge to it, warning Finn to back off. It didn't work.

"Seriously, dude, you don't look like you're okay. You're really pink, and your hand is kind of twitching." Finn looked at Kurt's right hand, gripping a steak knife.

"I'm _fine_, Finn." He growled.

"Honey, Finn's right, you do look awfully pink." Carole's voice was tender. "Wait, are you blushing?" she figured out what was going on. "You started turning pink when we brought up Blaine!" she smiled, and Kurt's pink skin turned a dark magenta. "Ooh!" she giggled like a teenage girl. "Tell us what's going on!"

Burt turned to his son slowly, wondering if he was going to tell them that the two boys were now (finally) together.

"I take that back, Finn, I feel terrible. I hurt. I'm tired. Can someone help me up to my room?" Kurt set his silverware down on the table and pushed away his plate, too embarrassed to continue eating with his family.

"Dude! Is he your new boyfriend? What happened to Jeff?" Finn asked, still confused.

"Yes, dear, what happened to Jeff?" Carole was great, really, but Kurt was starting to not like her very much right then.

"I don't want to talk about it." He crossed his arms and began to pout; apparently no one was going to help him up the stairs.

Burt saw how uncomfortable his son was, and decided to interrupt. "His parents know why we invited 'em, right?"

Kurt sighed. "Yeah, they know. They said they'd pay for a lawyer, since they want Blaine to press charges against him, too." While he had been on the phone with Blaine, his parents had come home, and brought up the idea of them all getting together to discuss charges against Karofsky. They thought it would be a good way to make sure he got properly punished, if both boys hurt by him that night presented a united front.

"Well, we'll talk about that tomorrow night, I don't feel comfortable taking handouts like that." Burt had always been a bit sensitive about money from other people.

The awkwardness of the dinner had reduced a bit, but was completely vanquished by the phone ringing. "I'll get it!" Finn jumped up and ran to answer it. Kurt shook his head; Finn was like a puppy.

"Hudson-Hummel residence, this is Finn Hudson speaking." Kurt laughed at the way Finn answered the phone. His mother had gotten after him for answering it with "city morgue!", so he had started being sarcastic and answering it as properly as he could. "Yeah, hold on, Mr. Figgins." He seemed a little shaken by who was on the phone, and passed it to his mother.

Carole got up from the table and walked back into the kitchen, though they could still hear her speak. "Yes, Mr. Figgins?" a pause. "No, no, that's- that's wonderful! Yes, of course. No problem, thank you so much! Goodbye!" she hung the phone up and returned to the dining room, a broad smile on her face.

"Carole, honey, what's going on?" Burt asked.

"No charges!" she squeaked, then pulled Burt up into a big hug.

"Huh?" Finn looked confused again.

"They're not pressing charges against you, honey!" she laughed, and Finn stood up to hug her, too.

"Who? The school?" Kurt asked.

"The school isn't, and neither is Mr. Karofsky! Nobody's pressing charges against you, Finn, you're free and clear!" Carole hugged Finn tighter, happier than she had been since Friday.

Kurt smiled at Finn's face; pure shock. He had been so sure that he'd end up in big trouble, and now, he was fine.

"What did Figgins say, honey? He say why they're not pressing charges?" Burt asked. It wasn't that he wasn't grateful, he was just concerned that Figgins and Mr. Karofsky were up to something.

"No idea. He said something about vampires, but it doesn't really matter! No charges!" she was so happy.

"Thank god. There's no way I'd last in juvie." Finn plopped back down into his chair, looking relieved.

"Definitely not. Rachel would probably last longer than you." Kurt grinned at his brother. He felt better now, knowing that Finn wasn't going to get into trouble.

"Ha ha. Like you'd last at all without your perfect hair and moisturizing routines." Finn reached over with his bad wrist to ruffle Kurt's hair, then hissed in pain as he moved it wrong.

"Karma, big brother. Karma." He smirked, watching Finn cradle his hand.

"Boys…" Carole warned. They didn't take her seriously, though; the big smile on her face making it obvious she didn't mind.

* * *

"Did you see them this morning? Holding hands?" Blaine walked down the science hall, on his way to his second hour AP chem class, hearing random bits of conversation.

"I thought he was straight? And wasn't Jeff with that Kurt kid?" At that, Blaine turned toward the two boys behind him, wanting to know what the hell was going on.

"Excuse me, guys, I couldn't help but overhear you. Might I ask what you're talking about?" he used his charming smile, his dapper Dalton façade taking over.

The boys were both sophomores, Blaine knew that much. One was named Andrew, who's father owned a newspaper in Columbus, and the other was EJ, and Blaine wasn't sure what his parents did.

EJ spoke up, a little nervous as he did; Blaine was a little intimidating when he used his charm full on. "Um, Jeff Lochlan and Simon Clark. They were holding hands this morning, and Simon kissed him, right in the main hall."

"Really?" Blaine asked, a little shocked. EJ nodded his head quickly, his bright red hair almost a blur.

"Yeah! They-"

Andrew interrupted him, a little calmer than his taller friend. "I think they're dating now, but wasn't Jeff dating your friend, Kurt?"

"That's not really anyone's business, now is it?" Blaine used his slightly condescending tone of voice, making the shorter boy look away.

"No, not really. Sorry, Blaine, we'll keep a lid on it." Andrew apologized. "We'll see you later." He grabbed his friend by the elbow and pulled him away.

Blaine watched as they went, a little more than surprised at what was going on. So Simon and Jeff were holding hands and kissing in plain view of everyone; that must have meant they were officially together. He took out his phone and typed a quick message to Kurt.

_Apparently Jeff and Simon are together now. You okay? – b_

He waited patiently for a reply, wondering if Kurt really would be alright.

_Wow. He moves fast, doesn't he? – k_

Blaine immediately regretted telling him.

_I'm so sorry, Kurt. – b_

_Don't be. He made his choice, and I made mine. :) – k_

He made his choice… What did Kurt mean? Did he choose Blaine? Being single? Blaine groaned in frustration, feeling more and more like a coward. When he and Kurt had spoken the night before, they hadn't exactly talked about 'them', they talked more about Kurt's leg, Finn's legal troubles, and then Kurt's parents inviting Blaine's parents over for dinner. The conversation had been broken up into multiple phone calls once their different parents needed to be called, and then Blaine had just gotten caught up with listening to Kurt's lilting voice. Nothing had really happened in terms of talking about _what_ they were, and Blaine knew he needed to remedy that before dinner that night. He sent a text to Wes, explaining what he was going to do.

_Wes, I've got to head to Lima after 4__th__ hour, cover for me. Sorry about missing rehearsal again. – b_

He walked into his chemistry class and took his seat. Class had been going for almost 10 minutes before he got a reply.

_You owe me your soul, Anderson. Your soul. – wes_

* * *

Kurt was in his room again, half asleep on his bed, watching **Crybaby** on dvd. Johnny Depp could make any bad day better. He was still reeling a little from Mercedes' confession the night before, and the great news that Finn wouldn't be going to juvie, and he really didn't feel like doing any more homework. It was only Wednesday, and he was supposed to return to school on Tuesday, the 26th, so he had time to finish it. He wasn't really looking too forward to Easter, though, since Finn had insisted on doing an Easter egg hunt. Kurt was just about to completely fall asleep when he heard the doorbell ring and his phone beep at the same time.

_Hey, I'm at your house. Are you able to let me in? – b_

Kurt stared at his phone. It was barely after 2 in the afternoon, Blaine still had an hour and a half left of school, what was he doing there?

_Uh, no. I'm in my room. Spare key is in the flower box on the window, sticking out by the pink chrysanthemum. – k_

_Found it. Be up in a sec. – b_

Kurt smiled, then waited (a little impatiently) for Blaine to get upstairs.

"Knock, knock." Blaine peeked his head around Kurt's bedroom door, a wide smile on his face.

"Come on in. Can you shut the door behind you? Carole's got a window open downstairs and it's getting cold in here." Blaine nodded, then shut the door. "So, what exactly are you doing out of school so early?" Kurt asked.

Blaine laughed a little, then slid off his blazer. He set it on Kurt's desk, and took his tie off next, then rolled up his sleeves. Kurt admired the way the muscles in his forearms moved, and the way his shoulders looked in the tighter than normal button-up.

Blaine sat down in Kurt's desk chair, and rolled it close to the bed before answering. "I skipped." He shrugged.

"Noticed." Kurt chuckled. "You're going to get into a lot of trouble for that some day, you know that, right?"

"Eh, don't really care. If it means I get to spend a little time with you, I'm good." He smiled.

"Hey, I'm not complaining. I just worry that you'll get into trouble and we won't be able to see each other." Kurt stopped, not sure if he should continue his train of thought.

"Oh, trust me. I'd find a way to see you." Blaine's eyes shone brightly, matching his smile.

"Really?" Kurt wanted to be sure.

"Really." Blaine just kept smiling.

They looked at each other for a bit, before Kurt finally broke the silence.

"Ugh. Blaine, I have something to ask you."

"I have something to ask you, too." Blaine looked a little more serious.

"You first, I-"

"No, you go, it's oka-"

"Blaine!" Kurt burst out, tired of playing games. "Just go." He quieted down.

"Um, o-okay." Blaine paused for a second, and cleared his throat. "Well, Kurt, I, uh, wanted to know something."

"What?" Kurt waited.

"What exactly are we?" Blaine asked quickly, not exactly looking Kurt in his eyes; he was focusing instead on that great chestnut colored hair. He didn't expect Kurt to laugh.

"Oh, god Blaine, I was going to ask you the same thing."  
Blaine grinned for a moment, then kept talking. "I mean, it's up to you. If you want us to be… or not, it's cool. It's about what you wan-"

"Blaine. Cut the bull crap. Just tell me what you want." Kurt's gaze was level, and his voice was calm.

"Uh, I, um." He took a deep breath. "I want to be with you. As in, like, your boyfriend. If you want that, you don't have to-"

"That's what I want."

Blaine saw the smile on Kurt's face, and knew he was telling the truth. It felt like an anvil was lifted off his shoulders; he felt so much better. Then he remembered what he had overheard that day, about Jeff and Simon. "Wait, what about everything with, well, Jeff, and school. Are you concerned about what people will say about you?" he was suddenly worried that Kurt would feel ashamed, that people would call him names. He didn't want that.

"What? No, Blaine, I don't care about them. I never really did, I only cared about-" he stopped.

"Cared about what?" Blaine asked, still concerned.

"Well, about what _you_ thought." Kurt looked down at his hands, feeling embarrassed again. Blaine wasn't sure what to say to that. "I mean, I've dealt with people saying stupid crap about me all my life, I'm sure a little bit of petty gossip at Dalton isn't going to make that much of a difference. Besides, being with you, that makes up for it." He was definitely blushing now, and Blaine loved it.

"I'm so glad you feel that way Kurt, because after Monday night, I can't get you out of my head. It's like you've completely taken over my mind, and I-"

"Same here. Do you know how difficult it is to focus on the Second World War when all I can think about is you? I keep thinking about that kiss, and then you and-" Kurt stopped himself; he thought for sure he had gone too far. Bringing up the kissing? He looked away from Blaine and covered his face with one hand, trying to hide the blush he knew he had. He squeaked a little when he felt the bed dip beside him, and a soft voice in his ear made his stomach to a flip.

"Trust me, Kurt. I know _exactly_ how you feel." Blaine pulled Kurt's hand away from his face. "I keep getting yelled at in class because I'm not paying attention. I accidentally answered 'Kurt' when Mr. Strong asked me what the chemical compound of sugar was."

Kurt opened his eyes and looked at the boy sitting next to him. "Seriously?" he asked.

"Seriously. I kept singing the wrong lyrics to Hot and Cold last night at rehearsal, too. I can't focus on anything but you, Kurt." He leaned closer, but not close enough for Kurt's liking.

"My dad caught me looking through pictures of you on Facebook this morning." He admitted, pulling Blaine closer. "He called me a stalker."

Blaine let Kurt pull him, stopping just close enough that he could kiss him if he wanted to. "I'm okay with you stalking me." He winked.

"Good. But I'd rather have you here in person, than on the computer." Kurt moved his hands to Blaine's chest, feeling the strong heartbeat. He hesitated moving in to kiss him, though. He needed to be sure of something. Before he could say anything, Blaine took the words right out of his mouth.

His voice was low, quiet, and a little shaky, but he went ahead anyway. "You're my boyfriend, right?"

Kurt couldn't help it, he leaned in all the way, letting their lips meet again. He loved the way Blaine's lower lip rested on his, the top going just above Kurt's. He pulled back for a second, smiling at the disappointed sound Blaine made. "Yes, Blaine, I'm your boyfriend."

"Good. Thank god, because I really wanted to-" Kurt shut him up again. Blaine let his mouth open a little, then gasped when Kurt lightly bit his lower lip. He pushed Kurt down onto the bed, not stopping the kiss, but needing to get a better angle; sitting next to someone wasn't exactly the best way to kiss them.

He leaned over Kurt, careful not to touch his leg. Instead, he had one hand on Kurt's left hip, feeling the soft skin there, and the other hand was holding him up. Kurt wrapped his arms around Blaine's back, pulling him down closer, until they were barely touching each other. Blaine started to pull back, not wanting to hurt his boyfriend, but stopped when Kurt growled through the kiss. Obviously, he didn't want Blaine to move. They pulled apart to take a breath (oxygen was such a pesky thing), but when they kissed again, it was worth it. Kurt opened his mouth, drawing Blaine in. He could feel the little flicks of Blaine's tongue on the roof, tickling a little, but still oh-so-hot. Kurt swiped his own tongue along Blaine's bottom lip, relishing the moan that came after. Blaine moved his hand from Kurt's hip, letting it stroke along the top of the sweatpants, asking for permission. He smiled into the kiss when Kurt lifted his hip a little, letting a whimper escape. He hooked a finger into the waistband, loving the sounds Kurt was making, when a loud bang and a "Holy _CRAP_!" made him stop.

* * *

Finn had come home from school, expecting to find Kurt downstairs on the couch. When he hadn't, he was a little concerned; wasn't he down there when Finn left for school that morning?

He was about to text him, to see if he was back at the hospital or police department or something, when he heard noise upstairs. It sounded like a moan, and Finn immediately thought that Kurt was in pain. Had he tried to get himself up to his room? Without thinking, he hurtled up the stairs, intent on helping Kurt. He reached his brother's room, and heard more groaning inside, but it sounded different. Finn had his hand on the doorknob when he heard a particularly loud moan, and without thinking, pushed the door wide open.

"Holy _CRAP_!" Finn shouted. He was scarred for life, he was sure of it. The scene before him was one he had never seen before, and something he didn't want to see again; Kurt on his back, his arms wrapped around Blaine. Blaine had one hand on Kurt's hip, but not on top of… oh, wow. Those were his sweats. Not cool. Kurt's shirt had ridden up, and Finn caught side of the ugly bruises on his ribs. Blaine jumped up, looking scared out of his mind, waiting for a flamethrower to be in his face.

"Finn! Get out!" Kurt shrieked at him, and he spun around, fully planning on doing what he was told. He lifted his bad hand up to cover his eyes, then fumbled to shut the door.

Before he did, though, he made sure to say one last thing. "I'm telling Burt!"

* * *

Dinner that night was a little awkward, but mainly between the three teenage boys. All three were sitting next to each other, with Kurt on the far left side, Blaine in the middle, and Finn to his right. Blaine felt rather uncomfortable. He was pretty sure that Finn hadn't said anything to Burt yet, because he was being perfectly pleasant. Had he known about the heated make-out session, Blaine figured the dinner would be a lot more stressful.

"Wonderful gumbo, Carole. It's exquisite." Blaine's mother Allison complimented.

"Thank you, I appreciate it. Actually, it's Kurt's recipe, he showed me how to make it." She smiled at her stepson as she spoke.

"It's great, Kurt." Sam, Blaine's father, added.

"Thank you, sir." Kurt smiled. "It's vegetarian, so the calorie count is lower and healthier."

Burt spoke up. "He and Carole have been keepin' me healthy. I had a heart attack a while ago, so they make it a point to take all the really good food away from me." He grinned at his wife across the table.

"Well, it's amazing, either way. I wish Sam here," she nudged her husband's shoulder with her own, "would eat a little healthier. I mean, honey, you're a doctor. Be a bit smarter about your health." She smiled.

"Hey, if you'd stop bringing home leftover cupcakes, I'd have an easier time of it." He winked at her and took another bite.

"Well, that's part of owning a bakery. Get used to it, buddy." She grinned, and took another spoonful of food.

Blaine turned to Kurt and smiled at him, happy that their parents got along so well.

"I hate to turn this wonderful talk to something a bit more difficult, but we do have a long drive ahead, and I think we need to talk about what we're going to do." Samuel Anderson set his silverware down, a serious look on his handsome face. Kurt could see where Blaine got his beautiful hazel eyes, and strong jawline, but his hair definitely came from his mother; her hair was long and flowing, and as twice as curly as Blaine's.

"I agree. What are we gonna do about that kid?" Burt asked, a cold look on his face.

"Allison and I talked it over, and we agreed that we want to press charges against him. The highest, most damaging charges we can get. The kids who went after Blaine at his old school were never proved to be the ones who did it, and they didn't get into trouble. I want to make sure this kid gets everything." Samuel sounded forceful.

"I completely agree with you. He coulda killed Kurt, and your boy too." Burt wasn't really trying to hide his anger, at all.

Kurt and Blaine looked at each other, both feeling like they weren't going to get a say in what happened to Karofsky. Kurt dropped his right hand under the table, and sighed when he felt Blaine lace his fingers through his own. He knew that he needed to speak up, that if he didn't, then they would take over, and he would be just the helpless little boy again.

"Um, excuse me." He said politely, then cleared his throat. Everyone turned to look at him. "I'm sorry for interrupting, I am, but Blaine and I were wondering…" he faltered, suddenly not sure of what to say.

"We were wondering if you'd like to hear what we think. Well, mainly what Kurt thinks, since he _was_ the one who was attacked." He held tight to Kurt's hand, and gave him an encouraging smile. "Go ahead, Kurt. It's okay." He whispered.

"Thanks, Blaine." Nobody missed the sweet smile he gave the boy next to him, and Allison smiled to herself to see the blush on her son's face. "Blaine and I were talking earlier, and we both think that maybe when this goes to court, or whatever, that we want Karofsky to do mandatory counseling." Confused faces met him all around. "Just, listen. He's gay, guys. Karofsky's gay. That's why he kissed me, that's why he's been bullying me. He took it all out on me because I was everything he couldn't be; out, happy, and proud of who I am." He looked at Blaine, searching his face for something. He started again when Blaine smiled. "Yeah, he never should have done what he did. Yeah, I'm, I'm _pissed_, and I'm in pain, and I have to wear these disgusting sweats all the time now, but he wouldn't have done it if he wasn't so afraid of who he is."

"Kurt, my sweats are not disgusting." Finn grumbled.

"Whatever, Finn, that's beside the point." Carole laughed a little at Finn's offended expression. "But we were talking earlier, and we decided that he deserves a chance to, I don't know…" Kurt trailed off.

"We think he deserves a chance to be okay with himself, with who he is." Blaine finished.

"It's not that we don't think he shouldn't get into trouble, we really really do, it's just that we don't want him going through life thinking that he's, well, wrong." Kurt shrugged. Almost everyone just stared at the two boys, varying degrees of surprise on their faces. Finn just kept eating.

"Okay." Burt said, finally.

"Okay?" Kurt asked.

"Yeah. I mean, as long as you guys are both alright with goin' after this kid for assault. Well, it wouldn't matter if you were, we're still going to, but-"

"What your father means to say, Kurt, is that we understand. We'll make sure the lawyer pushes counseling." Carole interrupted Burt.

"Anything you need, Kurt, Blaine, we'll make sure it happens. We really do understand." Samuel smiled at his son, proud that he had helped raise such a smart young man. "Now, let's finish this dinner and tear into the cupcakes my wife brought."

"Cupcakes?" Finn sat up straight, a hopeful glimmer in his eye.

"Sorry, kiddo, they're sugar-free." Allison laughed a little.

"Doesn't matter, they're _cupcakes_." Finn smiled, and dove back into his food. Everyone laughed, and Kurt caught Blaine's eye.

He leaned over to him quickly, hoping no one would notice, and whispered in his ear. "You're amazing." He sat back and smiled, happy that he could make Blaine blush like that.

"Hush." Blaine whispered back, a shy grin on his face, and squeezed Kurt's hand. They didn't notice the glances their way, they were too focused on each other.

* * *

Blaine was in his dorm room, ignoring Wes's snoring. His laptop was open, and his cursor was over the _replay_ button. He hadn't felt the desire to move it, he just kept watching the video over and over. When he got back to Dalton, he had called Mia and told her about he and Kurt becoming official, she had followed through and sent him the link for a video of Kurt in his cheerleading uniform. "4 Minutes" had never sounded or looked so good.

* * *

The dinner had been a success, and Allison Anderson's sugar-free cupcakes had been a hit. Kurt was resting on his bed, his copy of Two Towers forgotten on the bed next to him. He heard two short knocks on his door, and called for whoever was there to just go on in.

"Hey, buddy." Burt walked in, leaving the door open behind him.

"Hi, Dad." Kurt was obviously tired, but he had a pleasant smile on his face.

"What time did Blaine get here today?" Burt asked, sitting down on Kurt's bed. He was careful not to move too much.

"Um, a little, uh, after two, I think." Kurt didn't want to lie, just in case Finn really did tell his dad what he walked in on.

"Hmm." Burt nodded. "He skip his classes?"

Kurt paused before answering. "Not sure, Dad. He really wanted to talk to me before everyone got here, so I don't know, but-"

"Just make sure he doesn't do it again. And if you could ask before he comes over, I'd appreciate it." Burt added.

"Of course, sorry. I should have asked. He just kind of showed up, though, so, yeah." He ended lamely.

"Alright." Burt leaned over and kissed his son on his forehead, then got up to leave. He was already at the door when he turned back to Kurt. "Oh, and uh, keep the door open and your clothes on. Finn just about had a stroke today."

Kurt stared up at his dad, a look of pure terror on his face. "Y-yes, sir."

"And tell Blaine we need to have a chat. If he's your boyfriend, we need to get some ground rules." Kurt just nodded, trying to keep his fear level down. "Love you, Kurt. Goodnight." Burt shut the door behind him, laughing to himself at his son's reaction. Yeah, he definitely needed to talk to Blaine.

* * *

_Dad wants to talk to you. Finn told him what he saw. Ugh. – k_

Blaine stared in horror at the text message Kurt had just sent him.

_Oh god. He's not going to bring out that flamethrower he talked about, is he? – b_

He waited for a response, too afraid to press play again on the video.

_Doubt it. He might bring a blowtorch from the shop though. :( - k_

Blaine was going to die. He was sure of it.

* * *

**Next: Kurt goes back to school, but there are bumps along the way.**


	13. The Difference

**A/N: We get to see more of Simon in this chapter, and more Burt. Oh, and Mia. Mia, Mia, Mia. Just wait for the next chapter...**

* * *

**Kurt: You have no idea just how much I wanted to kill Finn yesterday.**

**Blaine: Oh, yeah? Easter was that bad?**

**Kurt: Ugh. Yes.**

**Blaine: It couldn't have been **_**that**_** bad. What happened?**

**Kurt: He dropped me.**

**Blaine: … What?**

**Kurt: He was carrying me all around the backyard.**

**Blaine: Okay, now I'm just confused. Why was he carrying you?**

**Kurt: Easter egg hunt. No joke.**

**Blaine: We did one here, it was kind of fun.**

**Kurt: Your brother is 10. Mine is 16. Almost 17. Biiig difference.**

**Blaine: But didn't you say that Finn has the mentality of a 10 yr old? Same thing.**

**Kurt: More like a 3 year old.**

**Blaine: Get back to how he dropped you. Are you okay? How's your leg?**

**Kurt: I'm fine, just a little sore. Made him promise to buy me every Lady Gaga album released until the end of time, though. :)**

**Blaine: Nice.**

**Kurt: So we covered my crappy Easter, how was yours?**

**Blaine: Awkward.**

**Kurt: How so?**

**Blaine: Well, we went to church first, then did the Easter egg hunt when we got home. I swear, Mia was more excited than Jamie.**

**Kurt: The more you tell me about your sister, the more I think that she's actually younger than you.**

**Blaine: She acts like it sometimes, true enough.**

**Kurt: Noticed. ;) How was your Easter awkward, though? I think I'm missing something…**

**Blaine: Oh, well, church was awkward. We go to the UCC, which is awesome because they pretty much accept everyone. The weird bit is the minister's wife is a total ditz. I'm reminded of your friend Brittany when I think of this woman.**

**Kurt: … Wow.**

**Blaine: Yeah. Anyway, she doesn't get that I'm gay, and keeps trying to get me to date her daughter. I mean, the girl's nice enough, but**

**Kurt: She's a girl.**

**Blaine: Exactly. And it's not like the minister and his family don't **_**know**_** that I'm gay, but his wife… she's not that bright. She spent all of coffee hour trying to get me to ask her daughter on a date. And the poor girl just sat there and stared at me like I was her Prince Charming or something. So, yeah. Awkward. And it got even worse when I tried to explain to them that I wasn't interested, without being rude.**

**Kurt: What happened?**

**Blaine: Mia and Jamie stepped in.**

**Kurt: Oh, god.**

**Blaine: Yup. Jamie came over and was trying to subtly say that I was taken, but they were both not really paying attention. Mia was the one who just **_**had**_** to make it really obvious.**

**Kurt: What did she do?**

**Blaine: She came over and ajo;ja8089 ajkoa**

**Kurt: Blaine?**

**Blaine: HI KURT!**

**Kurt: …**

**Blaine: ITS MIA HEY DID YOU KNOW THAT BLAINE HAS A PICTURE OF YOU IN HISSSAJKL;JAF8WFJKLLLLLLLLLLL;**

**Kurt: Blaine? What's going on?**

**Blaine: Sorry about that! Blaine is a bit tied up at the moment… Don't worry, he'll be okay. ANYWAY! I'm Mia.**

**Kurt: Uh, hi, Mia.**

**Blaine: I have a question for you.**

**Kurt: Fire away. :)**

**Blaine: When are you going to put out?**

**Kurt: Um.**

**Blaine: I mean, my poor little brother is having to do his laundry every day now, if ya know what I mean *wink wink*, and we're running low on detergent.**

**Blaine: You there, Kurtie?**

**Blaine: It's okay, I'm jkl;afj38a9pja88888jklaw**

**Blaine: aja0wa ajfk;da\]\adfa/**

**Blaine: I hate my sister.**

**Kurt: She seems interesting.**

**Blaine: I am so, so SO sorry. Ignore everything she said. Please, please ignore her.**

**Kurt: She said you were 'tied up at the moment', what happened?**

**Blaine: she and Jamie attacked me. Jamie's going down for this, I'll tell you that much. I can't really go after my sister who's got to go through chemo, but I can totally go after Jamie.**

**Kurt: Attacked you?**

**Blaine: Jamie tied my hands behind my back with one of my ties, Mia gagged me with another. She literally kicked me out of my chair and had Jamie sit on me.**

**Kurt: Okay, now I'm officially afraid to meet your siblings.**

**Blaine: Just be glad you're not on the receiving end of their crazy.**

**Kurt: I'm on the receiving end of **_**your**_** crazy, I think that's enough for me.**

**Blaine: ;) But you like my crazy.**

**Kurt: Of course I do. If I didn't, do you think I would put up with you and your insane furniture climbing and paper throwing?**

**Blaine: Hey, I'm naowaj00000000000**

**Kurt: Mia?**

**Blaine: Ha=jda0w-1Wakl;;;;AAAAAA AIW;OA0**

**Kurt: Have Blaine call me later. Goodbye, Mia. :)**

**Blaine: Wait, Kurt, I have j0w-ja80 HE WANTSTOHAV E BAA9JBIES WIHTYOU jklaj0Jjkl;AAJSANABAA**

**Kurt has logged off**

**Blaine: NOOOOOOOOOO**

* * *

"When will your parents be back?" Simon had his arm draped over Jeff's bare shoulder, not really paying attention to the Secret Life marathon on his massive tv.

"Friday, I think." Jeff was quiet, but snuggled in closer to Simon.

"When are you going back to Dalton?"

Jeff sighed, a little tired of all the questions. "Tomorrow morning. I don't want to drive back tonight."

"I could drive you back if you wanted. Tonight, or tomorrow. Either way, I'm good." Simon looked down at the blonde boy in his arms as he spoke, noticing the rigid set of his jaw.

"I'm fine."

Simon had come over that morning, and they spent the entire day with Jeff, lounging in his bed. Jeff's parents had left after Easter lunch the day before, and Simon didn't want him to be alone. "Jeff, something's bothering you. Hon, tell me what's up." Even though they had spent the day together, Jeff hadn't really done anything; they had just cuddled and watched movies, getting up every once in a while to grab leftover candy from the day before.

"I'm fine." He repeated.

Simon rolled his eyes, realizing that Jeff was in one of his 'moods'. He had a tendency to shut himself off when he got like that, and it irritated Simon to no end.

"Bull. If you don't tell me what's going on, I'll leave." Jeff looked up at him, a panicked look on his face.

"Don't go, Si, I'm just-"

"Don't tell me you're 'just tired'." Simon knew all his tricks.

"But I am." Jeff moved to sit up, but didn't get far; Simon had wrapped one arm around his waist, and pulled him back. He leaned in as close as he could, and lightly kissed Jeff's nose.

"Tell me." Simon let go of him, and watched the emotions flash on his boyfriend's face as he sat up; fear, anger, and… was that guilt? "Jeff, do you feel guilty about something?" he asked, not sure if he was right or not.

Jeff closed his eyes for a moment, and Simon knew he was. "I just… I can't help but feel like I'm the bad guy in all this." Simon knew he was talking about Kurt now.

"How so?" he sat up, so he could face Jeff.

"Well, look at what happened. I freaked out on him for hanging out with Blaine, and that just made things worse. I _hit_ Blaine, I yelled at him in front of Kurt, I practically pushed him away, and made everybody's life hell, and-" he was silenced by Simon's lips on his.

"Shh." Simon pulled away enough to speak, but still stayed close. "You have no reason to feel bad. He was the one that spent all that time with Blaine. He was the one who kept secrets from you about Blaine. You've done nothing wrong."

Jeff kept his eyes closed. "And making out with you while I was still with him? Practically fucking you while I was still with him? Jesus, Simon, when I saw him in the hospital, the first thing he noticed was the hickey on my collarbone."

Simon blushed a little at that; he hadn't thought it would be as purple (or as noticeable) as it was. "Okay, so maybe you're not completely innocent. But when you're in love, you're in love, right? And it's not like I wasn't a completely willing party in all this. It happened, okay? Sitting here moping about hurting his feelings isn't going to get you anywhere, and it won't get _us_ anywhere. Besides, he's with Blaine now, and you're with me. Don't worry so much." He kissed Jeff again, this time letting his lips linger, his hands holding tight to Jeff's.

"I can't help but feel bad, though, Si, I really-" Jeff tried to speak, but Simon pushed him back on the bed and covered his mouth with his hand.

"Stop. Talking." He climbed on top of Jeff, straddling his legs and keeping him pinned. "Stop feeling guilty. Kurt's happy with Blaine, and you're happy with me, right?" he asked. Jeff nodded, since his mouth was still covered. "Good." Simon smiled, then slowly removed his hand, placing it on Jeff's chest instead. Jeff didn't say anything; he just watched as Simon's hand crept lower, until it reached the top of his sweats. He felt his fingers playing at the waistband, tickling the sensitive skin there, teasing him at what they could do.

"I love you." Jeff whispered, his eyes still staring at Simon's hand.

"Are you sure? Because I could always go and-" Jeff pulled him back down for another kiss, stopping Simon before he could leave him again.

* * *

"One every 8 hours, that's what the doctor said. Here's the instructions he wanted me to give you." Burt Hummel handed the nurse a folded piece of paper. It was time for Kurt to go back to school, and as much as Burt didn't want to let him go, he knew he had to.

"Trust me, Mr. Hummel, Kurt will be fine. We'll even give him a key to the elevator in the dorms, so he doesn't have to try to get up and down the stairs in the cast." Mrs. Paker was an older woman, with gray hair and a sweet smile. She had been a nurse at Dalton Academy for 30 years, and was very good at taking care of the boys there.

"Elevator? Where?" Kurt was sitting in a plush leather chair in the nurse's office, watching the interaction between his awkwardly nervous father and the kindly nurse. He was surprised that he had been at Dalton for almost 6 months and still didn't know everything about his dorm.

"It's by the back entrance, where the handicap parking is. It's closer to the school's entrance, too." She smiled down at him.

"How's he supposed to get around to all his classes?" Burt asked, realizing that his son would have to walk all around the building all day.

"Well, we usually assign another student to the injured one, who will accompany him to all his classes, help carry things, et cetera. He'll get to leave class early, of course, so he won't be late to anything." Kurt grinned at the idea of leaving class early.

"Who'll do it for Kurt?" Burt asked again. He was seriously re-thinking sending Kurt back so quickly.

"We tend to let the student decide, since they'll be spending so much time with each other."

"Blaine Anderson." Kurt blurted out, not even realizing how loud he must have been. His father looked at him, an amused smile on his face at his son's outburst.

The nurse laughed. "Alright then! I'll send an email along to his teachers and his class advisor. This is okay with him, correct?" she wanted to make sure.

"Oh, I think it is." Burt was still smiling when he answered for Kurt. He knew that Kurt and Blaine were dating now, and even though he and Blaine hadn't had a proper "come to Jesus" talk, he knew Blaine would do anything for his kid.

"Okay, I'll send that email and he'll meet you a few minutes before your first hour lets out. I'll keep your medication locked in my office, so you'll need to come here to take it." The nurse took three pill bottles from Burt, and placed them in her pocket.

"That won't be a problem." Kurt was just grateful that he'd have Blaine there to help him. He blushed as a vision of Blaine carrying his books flashed through his head; the Prince Charming thing really _did_ seem like Blaine.

"'Kay, kiddo. I gotta get going, I left Jerry in charge of the shop this morning." Burt liked his other manager, but he was a bit of a nutjob, and he wasn't sure he trusted him alone for long periods of time.

"It was nice meeting you, Mr. Hummel. Kurt will be taken care of very well here." Mrs. Paker shook his hand, and followed them to the door of her office. Burt and Kurt said their goodbyes to her, and Burt followed his son down the hall toward his French class.

"You sure you're gonna be okay, Kurt? 'Cause if you want, we can just keep you at home until the cast comes off, and-"

Kurt stopped walking, and turned to face his dad, leaning on his crutches. "Dad, I'll be okay. Everyone here has my back, no one's going to let me fall in the hallway, and they'll carry my bag and food and whatever. I'll be fine here."

"I know you will, Kurt. I just worry about you sometimes." He sighed. "I don't want to see anything happen to you, and at least when you're home, I can keep an eye on you, or Finn or Carole can." He shrugged. "I just feel better when you're not two whole hours away from me."

"I understand, but Dad, I'll be okay here. Besides, I'll be home this weekend, remember?"

Burt looked at his son, not saying anything. The boy in front of him hadn't really changed all that much from when he was younger; he was still headstrong, still stubborn, and he still had a hell of an attitude. There was something different about him now, though, and he knew it wasn't just from the attack. His son was now just a few inches shorter than him (Burt swore he was still growing), and while he still looked young, his baby-face wasn't so pronounced. He really had grown into a young man, and Burt suddenly wished Kurt's mom could be there to see him.

"Dad?" Kurt looked worried, he could see the wetness in his father's eyes. "Dad, are you okay?"

Burt smiled, and nodded, trying to will the tears not to fall. "Yeah, Kurt. I'm okay. I love you." Not really thinking about the fact that his son was in a cast and using crutches, he pulled him into a tight hug. "I love you, kiddo."

"Love you too, Dad." Kurt didn't question him, he just let his dad say goodbye.

* * *

Finn didn't want to go back to school that Tuesday. Truth be told, he didn't really want to go back to school at all; he'd much rather stay home and play Halo, but his mom made him go back. He tried to fake sick that morning, but since she was a nurse (and knew all her son's tricks), there was no way she was going to buy it. As he walked down the halls of William McKinley High School, he smiled, waved, and acted like everything was fine, but it really wasn't.

Yeah, it was great that he wasn't going to get into any legal trouble, that he wasn't going to end up in juvie. It was also great that Kurt was doing a lot better, and that he was able to go back to school that day. Although (and he'd never actually admit it), he didn't exactly want Kurt to go back. He was hoping that Kurt would decide to leave Dalton and go straight back to McKinley, since Karofsky was gone. He knew that Karofsky wouldn't be able to go back there, even if he ended up not going to jail, because the school board had officially (finally) decided to expel him. Finn had brought up the idea of going back to McKinley when he brought Kurt his mug of warm milk the night before. Kurt had tried to back out of talking about it, but Finn kept pushing.

"Finn, I can't go back there." Kurt seemed sad when he spoke, but he took the milk anyway. Finn asked him why, expecting Blaine to be part of the answer. He was surprised, though, by the answer he actually got.

"He wasn't the only one who bullied me, who harassed me. Yeah, he was the only one who kissed me, thank god, but he wasn't the only one who went after me. Azimio, the rest of the football team, the hockey team? Basically everyone but the glee club?" Finn tried to tell him that they could protect him now, that the school board and Figgins would have his back, but Kurt wouldn't let him finish.

"There's only so much that everyone can do. I don't want to feel like I've got the Secret Service covering me, that I have to be constantly watched to see if I'm going to get hurt or something. At least at Dalton, there's no real possibility of getting slushied or slammed into a locker. At Dalton, I don't have to be afraid." Finn couldn't really think of anything to say; he had been so sure that Kurt would want to go back to McKinley, but he didn't really think that he liked Dalton that much.

"Finn, we still live together, you're still my stepbrother, and I'll still see you all the time. Don't worry, everything will be fine." Kurt had smiled at him, and Finn felt a little better.

That day at school, though, Finn felt like a robot. He didn't think he had missed riding to school with Kurt, listening to him rant about the latest issue of Vogue. He didn't think he had missed the jokes they exchanged during glee club, or the seamless way they had begun exchanging food at lunch.

"Damn." Finn thought. "This sucks."

* * *

"I don't think so, Wes." Blaine pointed a french fry at his friend, who was trying to convince him that Captain Jack Sparrow was the best Captain Jack. "Have you even _seen_ **Torchwood**?"

"Yes, Blaine. Many times. Many, many times. And before you ask, because I know you will, yes, I've read both of that guy's books. Because you made me. I even watched **The Producers** with you, just so you could hear him sing that damn 'Springtime For Hitler' song. Which, by the way, was stuck in my head for 3 weeks after that." Wes rolled his eyes and took a bite of his BLT. "But just because you think the actor is hot or something-"

"Or something?" Blaine exclaimed.

"Just because you think he's hot, doesn't mean he's a great actor. Or even a good one. And it has nothing to do with the 'Captain Jack' of it all. I'm sorry, but a kick-ass drunk pirate who gets a ton of hot British ass beats a weird immortal guy who gets a bunch of alien ass any day." Wes grinned and leaned back in his chair, positive that he had won the argument.

"You're delusional." Blaine shook his head, wondering how he ended up as friends with these people. True, he thought Johnny Depp was the epitome of gorgeousness (except for Kurt, of course), but John Barrowman's 'Captain Jack Harkness' just couldn't be beat.

"Blaine, you only like him because you wanted to switch places with that Ianto gu-" David started, but stopped when he saw the look Blaine was giving him.

"Hey, I'd switch places with either one of them. They're both pretty hot." Everyone turned to stare at Kurt, who had finally decided to join in the conversation. "What?" Kurt was confused.

"You watch **Torchwood**?" Blaine asked.

"Well, not often, but if it's on BBC America, yeah. My mom used to watch the old **Doctor Who** episodes, and I started watching the new ones, too. When I saw Captain Jack on it, I kept watching. Then when I heard he had his own show, I watched that, too." He shrugged, not realizing that Blaine was sure he had just gotten even more attractive.

"So, you're a nerd?" Wes asked, gaining a glare from Blaine.

"Well, I never really thought of myself as one. I'm more of a… connoisseur of good television." He smiled and took a drink of his Diet Coke. Blaine grinned, happy that he and Kurt had one more thing in common. The day had gone pretty well for them, and they were both enjoying the extra time together. He didn't mind helping Kurt to and from his classes, even if it meant he had to carry an extra backpack; it meant he got to spend time with his boyfriend.

"You're all insane. Why are we even arguing about this to begin with?" David asked.

"Because you asked us. Do you not remember five minutes ago?" Wes asked his friend, genuinely worried that he had lost his mind.

"Oh, yeah…" David laughed to himself, and finished off his french fries. "Mushta f'got."

"David. Don't talk with your mouth full." Kurt scolded him, earning a laugh from the other two boys at their table. "And you, Mr. Anderson, need to finish your salad. We've got to head out in a few minutes." He smiled when he spoke to Blaine, not wanting to sound too demanding.

Blaine sat straight up, raising a hand to his forehead in a mock salute. "Sir, yes sir!"

"You're just lucky I like you so much." Kurt winked at him, liking the easy way they joked with each other.

"Ugh! Ack! Eurgh!" They turned to face Wes and David, both acting like they were gagging. "Too! Much! Sap!"

"You're just jealous because your girlfriends can't kiss like he can." Kurt said, pointing at Blaine as he used a crutch to pull himself up from his chair. Blaine blushed a deep red, but moved quickly to help Kurt up all the way.

"We're, no, wait… Kurt!" David was embarrassed and a little confused, not really wanting to ask for clarification on exactly _how_ Blaine kissed. Just for reference, though. Ew.

Blaine slung their bags over his shoulders as he laughed at his friends' reactions, and turned away from the table, ready to follow Kurt to his 5th hour class. He stopped, though, when he almost ran right into Kurt's back. "Kurt? Babe, we gotta get going." Blaine tried to get Kurt to keep walking, but once he looked around him and saw what Kurt was seeing, he understood. Across the lavishly decorated cafeteria (more like a country club dining room) stood Jeff and Simon, holding hands, kissing. The kiss wasn't wildly inappropriate, it was just a quick, sweet kiss, but it was enough to bring the memories of just a couple weeks ago flooding back into Kurt's mind. "Kurt, it's okay. Just keep walking. I'm right here." He whispered into Kurt's ear, hoping he would be able to keep going.

"Y-yeah. It's okay." He turned to face Blaine, a fake smile plastered on his face. "I have pre-calc next, with Summers." He took a quick breath, then started to make his way out, Blaine staying close to his side. He was grateful that they only had to go a short distance before they reached the door, maybe Jeff and Simon wouldn't see them. He knew it was ridiculous to think that he could go the rest of the school year without seeing either one of them (considering Jeff lived just down the hall from him), but he was hopeful. Unfortunately, he wasn't lucky, because he looked in the direction of his ex just as Jeff looked over at him, and he was _not_ prepared for the look on Jeff's face; sadness.

Blaine saw everything, and saw Kurt falter with his steps. "Pre-calc is easy today. Summers just gives you notes, and no homework." He had Mr. Summers first hour, and if Kurt was going to be distracted that hour (which Blaine knew he would be), he could just let him copy his notes. He nudged Kurt forward, keeping a hand on his lower back, letting him know he was there.

"Good, good. I don't have the patience for math today." He looked away from Jeff, and smiled at Blaine. It was surprising to him, just how different he could feel in the span of two seconds. Looking at Jeff, he felt like crap; practically worthless. But looking at Blaine, he felt amazing, wanted, and happy.

"You never have the patience for math." Blaine smirked and held the door open for Kurt, letting him out first. "Just like I don't have patience for art, you don't patience for math."

Kurt hobbled as gracefully as he could, sliding past Blaine's outstretched arm. "You're just bitter because you can't draw. Get over it, sweetheart, I'm better than you at pretty much everything." He winked, then started walking faster. If he had Blaine with him, he could take on pretty much anything.

* * *

_Thanks for today. – k_

The day had been long, tiring, and a little confusing, but Blaine being there with him had made everything worth it.

_For what? I just carried your books. :) – b_

It was almost 10, almost curfew. Blaine had spent the entire day with him (except when he was in his classes, of course), and had hung out in his room with him doing homework (and stealing kisses when he couldn't help himself) until he finally had to go back to his own room. A few jokes had been made about Nick and Wes swapping rooms for the night, but they had all been in jest. As much as Kurt wanted to spend more time with him, and as much as he would have liked to take their relationship to a more physical level, he knew is was better to wait a little while longer.

_Not just that, dummy. You were great today, with the books and everything else. Especially in the cafeteria today. – k_

That moment had been particularly awkward, and it wasn't something he was looking forward to happening again, thought he knew it probably would.

_Anything for you. You know that. – b_

_Anything? – k_

Kurt smiled.

_Anything. – b_

_Don't put any gel in your hair tomorrow. – k_

He waited for the reply.

_What? – b_

_No gel, and I might be willing to find my old cheer uniform. – k_

Mia had sent him an email (no idea how she got his email address, she probably got into Blaine's computer) stating that Blaine had a thing for him in the uniform, and knew he could use it to his advantage.

_I am going to kill my sister. – b_

Kurt laughed out loud at that, earning a strange look from Nick. He just shook his head and chuckled quietly, then sent a reply back.

_Don't do that, that's not nice. Besides, if I didn't know that you thought 'omgthatassthatass' about me in the uniform, I wouldn't have maybe possibly brought it back with me. – k_

Mia had described (in detail) Blaine's reaction to seeing the '4 Minutes' video. He was embarrassed to hear it from her, but knowing that Blaine really found him that attractive was one hell of a turn-on.

_No gel. I swear. :D – b_

Kurt grinned, fighting the blush he knew was creeping onto his pale cheeks. When he was with Jeff, he felt attractive, but with Blaine, he felt sexy. It didn't sound like the feelings were different, but he knew they were. He was about to respond when his phone beeped with a new message from a number he didn't recognize.

_Hummel- meet me in the Windsor common room. We need to talk._

The only people who usually called him Hummel were the jocks at McKinley, and though the thought petrified him, he knew they couldn't get into Windsor after 8 at night, when you needed an ID badge for the scanner.

_Who is this? – k_

He waited, but not for long.

_Just come down here._

He looked up at Nick, debating on what to say. "Um, Nick?"

"Hmm?" Nick didn't look up from his laptop, intent on building another story for his Sim family.

"I've got to go downstairs. If I'm not back in 15 minutes, can you come get me?" he wasn't sure who was down there, but you couldn't be too safe.

"Huh? Oh, uh, yeah." He finally glanced up. "Hey, if you're going to the kitchen, can you get me some Pringles, if there are any left?"

Kurt rolled his eyes.

_Hurry up, Hummel._

"Yeah, sure." He got up from the bed slowly, using his now-hated crutches (he didn't know armpits could hurt like that) to stand up.

_On my way, hold on. – k_  
He messaged the stranger, then sent another text to Blaine.

_Babe, I'm going downstairs, I'll be back up in 15. Can you call me then? If I'm not in my room, I might need help getting back up there. – k_

It wasn't that he couldn't trust Nick, it was that he was concerned that Nick would forget. He got a little obsessed with his Sims games, and had even been known to play through classes if someone didn't stop him.

_Yeah, no problem. I'd say I'd go down there with you, but Wes is having a fight with his girlfriend, so I'm trying to get him to calm down. So glad I'm not into girls. ;) – b_

He smiled, then slipped his phone into his pajama pants pocket, grateful that he found a large enough (and nice enough) pair to go over the massive cast. He zipped up the Warblers hoodie he stole from Blaine that afternoon, and left the comfort of his dorm room. Kurt was grateful that the hall lights were still on (8 minutes to curfew, he better hurry), and got to the nice elevator that was tucked away at the back of the hall. He pressed GROUND, and watched as the doors slid shut, trying not to feel too nervous. The person waiting for him obviously had to be a Dalton student; no one else could get in Windsor that late. It couldn't be Jeff (unless he changed his number), because he didn't recognize the number that sent the text. He only hoped nothing bad would happen to him.

He heard a 'ding', then mentally prepared himself while the doors opened again, revealing the quiet main floor. He liked that the floors were carpeted in the hall, giving him more traction on the crutches, allowing him to get to the common room quicker. Before he knew it, he was standing outside the partially opened door to the Windsor common room, and he could just make out the shadow of someone in the room. He pushed the door open the rest of the day and walked in.

"Hello?" he was quiet. He held in a gasp when he saw who turned around: the tall, dark-haired Simon Clark.

"You showed up." Simon looked at Kurt, sizing him up. He could see what Jeff saw in him; the blue/gray eyes, the high cheekbones. Even his hair.

"I wanted to see who was so keen on seeing me that they had to break into Windsor for it." Kurt was confused now; why did Simon come to see him?

"Well, I was actually just over with Jeff, but before I go back to Stuart, I wanted to talk to you. Have a seat." He motioned toward one of the many couches.

"I'd rather stand. It's easier." Kurt didn't want to show weakness in front of him.

"Understandable." Simon nodded. "As to why I'm here, that's a little… difficult, for me to explain."

"Try." Kurt really had no time for games from this boy; he had better things to do than spend time with the boy his ex had basically left him for.

"I'm sorry." Simon didn't look at Kurt when he said it.

"Excuse me?" Kurt wasn't sure he heard right; was he apologizing?

"I'm sorry, Kurt. For everything with Jeff." Wow. He was.

"An apology isn't going to make everything better, Simon." And he knew that it wouldn't. While he was mildly grateful that he _had_ come to say sorry, he knew that it was just a small step, and it was actually a step that Jeff should have taken, too.

"But I _am_ sorry, Kurt. You were never meant to get hurt in all this, I just wanted to be with Jeff. I didn't want you to get caught up in the middle of this, I didn't want him to fall for you because I wasn't there." He stopped himself before he could say more; he hadn't meant to confess that much.

"Well, I'm sorry that your _boyfriend_ fell for me, but that wasn't my fault. Maybe if you hadn't gone into the closet after fucking him, none of this would have happened." Kurt couldn't help it, his inner bitch needed to roar.

Simon crossed the room in a few short steps, getting right in Kurt's face. Kurt was starting to regret what he said; he hadn't really realized how athletic Simon really was.

"You don't know the _first_ fucking thing about me and the _fucking_ closet." His face was twisted into one that just seethed fury, and Kurt took a shaky step back. "I came here to apologize to your arrogant ass, not get bitched at for something I didn't have any _damn_ control over. And you have no damn right to lecture me about hurting Jeff, you little hypocrite."

"Hypocrite? How on _earth_ am I a hypocrite here?" Kurt was starting to think that Simon was just a little bit off his rocker.

"Leading Jeff on when all you wanted was Blaine?" he let out a dark laugh when he saw the shocked look on Kurt's face. "Don't even think you didn't lead him on, you totally did. From the beginning, everybody here _knew_ you had the hots for Blaine, _everybody_. Then 'poor wittle Kurt' gets rejected and starts hanging out with Jeff. You guys were always together, always. How long did it take you to get together, Hummel, huh? A week? Two?"

"You don't know anything abo-"

"I know all about you and Jeff. You forget, he's with _me_ now, he tells _me_ everything. You were a little cocktease, too, weren't you? You'd make out with him, let him get all hot and bothered, then tell him 'no'? That's not right, Hummel. And neither was stringing him along until Blaine was sure he wanted you. You waited, and waited, until you were sure that Anderson would do anything to get your cock in his mouth, then you ran right to him, didn't you?"

Kurt was shocked at what Simon was saying. "You don't know anything about Blaine and I, alright? Back the hell off, you have no business being here anymore. Go back to Stuart." He didn't know how to really address anything he had said; he was still reeling from the language he had used.

"Gladly. Have a good night, little cocktease." He pretended to tip an imaginary hat in Kurt's direction, then quickly slipped by him and left the common room. Kurt heard the main door open, then sighed in relief when he heard the 'click' of it shutting. A quiet 'beep' broke him out of his reverie, and he checked his phone.

_Hey, are you still downstairs? Need me to come get you? – b_

He felt warm when he saw the text.

_If you want to. Actually, can you, please? Simon was just here. – k_

Kurt really wanted to see Blaine right then; maybe he could help him sort out everything that Simon had said.

_Be right there, don't move. I'm coming. – b_

Not even one minute after he got the message, he saw Blaine at the common room door, looking worried.

"Kurt? Are you okay? What happened? Do I need to call the Stuart prefect and have them talk to Simon?" Blaine rushed over to him, his hands brushing lightly over Kurt's face, looking for more bruises than the ones already there.

"No, no, it's fine. He just said… a lot of crap. Can we go upstairs, though? I don't want to get caught out of bed after-hours." He knew that Thad, the Windsor prefect, would not hesitate to give him cleaning duties his first day back.

"Yeah, yeah, let's go." Blaine let a hand drop to the small of Kurt's back as they walked down the hall to the elevator. "What did he say?" he asked when the doors slid shut, pressing LEVEL TWO.

Kurt was quiet for a second, not sure how to put it. "He said a lot, but he basically said that I led Jeff on, while I… while I waited for you." He was quiet, and couldn't look Blaine in the eye.

"What?" Blaine couldn't hide the anger in his voice.

"He called me a cocktease. Said that I'd get Jeff, well, get him 'going'," Kurt lifted his hands to make air quotes, "then run off." He felt wrong, felt dirty, just by being called that word by Simon.

"I'm going to kill him. That little fucking assho-" Blaine stopped when he felt Kurt's soft lips on his.

"Shh. Don't. Just, tell me. Did I lead him on?" Kurt's eyes searched Blaine's for some sort of answer. He kept close, not wanting to leave the warmth that was Blaine.

"No. No, baby, you didn't. You didn't even know how I felt about you. Hell, _I_ didn't even know how I felt about you, not until you guys had been together. You didn't do anything wrong." The doors slid open, and Kurt noticed the hall lights were off. "Come on. I'll walk you to your room." Blaine held his hand out so the doors wouldn't close again, then stepped out behind Kurt. They walked slowly, neither one wanting to separate again.

"Are you sure? I mean, after that night on the couch downstairs, I-"

"It doesn't matter. You didn't lead him on. You never have. You didn't do anything wrong. Baby, please, stop feeling guilty, you really didn't do anything wrong." Blaine's voice was urgent, trying to get Kurt to understand.

It only took them a few more seconds, and they were standing outside Kurt's room. "Blaine?" he asked, quiet again.

"Yeah?" Blaine stepped closer, resting his hands on Kurt's slender hips. He looked up into Kurt's eyes, loving the fact that they never really stayed the same color.

"Like I said before, thank you." He smiled. He wasn't sure that Blaine was right, but he knew Blaine wasn't lying. "Thanks for everything. And…" he paused.

"Yes?" Blaine leaned in closer, wanting more than anything to kiss him.

"Thanks for picking me." He whispered.

"Nobody else, Kurt. Nobody else but you." Blaine closed the distance between them, making his lips meet Kurt's. He opened his mouth a little, letting Kurt in. He felt their tongues slide across each other, tasted the hot chocolate Kurt must have had after he left. Blaine felt Kurt's hand on his neck, pulling him closer; he took a few small steps, careful to avoid Kurt's broken leg. Kurt breathed in through his nose, then let out a sigh into Blaine's mouth; he wasn't planning to make that noise, though.

Blaine let Kurt take over, his fingers playing with the hair behind his ears, his tongue (quite possibly) drawing music notes on the roof of his mouth. He moved a hand from Kurt's hip to his back, let it drift a little further down. Blaine stopped just short of actually grabbing Kurt's ass, just letting his hand rest there for a minute. Kurt pulled away for a second to take a proper breath, and Blaine couldn't help the frustrated groan that came after.

"Curfew." Kurt whispered as he started kissing Blaine's jaw, trying to find the spot he found the week before.

"Unngh…" there it was. He made a mental note. _Right below the left earlobe. Check._

"Blaine. Curfew." He whispered into his ear now, enjoying the way Blaine's hands felt on him.

"Fuck. Curfew." Kurt grinned. Blaine pulled him closer (not that they could get too much closer, what with their clothes on and all), and started making little bites along Kurt's neck.

"I like the way you think, Anderson. I like it a lot." He let his head drop back, relishing the hot breath that was making his body do things it really shouldn't do, at least not out in the hall.

"Okay, guys, seriously? It's after 10, and _some_ of us have homework to get done, or sleeping we'd like to do. I'm sure you can find a quiet afternoon when no one's here to do whatever it is you're doing, but _now is NOT the time_!" Blaine jumped back from Kurt as soon he heard Thad's voice. Kurt still held tight, not sure that he could stand up without Blaine's help, even though he had the crutches.

"Y-yeah, Thad, sorry!" Kurt squeaked.

"Go to bed!" Thad hissed, then shut his door. The two boys turned to look at each other again, both of them bright red and embarrassed as hell.

"I completely forgot that his room was right across the hall from yours. Oh, god, Kurt, I'm so sorry." Blaine looked worried.

Kurt couldn't help but laugh; the whole situation was too funny to him. "Blaine, don't worry. Like he said, I'm sure we can find a quiet afternoon when no one is here." He smiled a rather flirtatious smile at his boyfriend. "Besides, both our roommates are waiting for us, I doubt they want us making out in front of them."

"They'd get over it." Blaine rolled his eyes.

Kurt laughed. "Sweetheart, I really, _really_ hate to say it, but Thad's right. We've got to get some sleep." He sighed, and let his hands drop from Blaine's neck.

Blaine groaned again, frustrated that the night had to end. "Fine. But we're hanging out tomorrow."

"Of course. And if we're lucky, I can convince Nick to go hang out with Wes in your room for a couple hours before Warblers tomorrow, too." Blaine didn't miss the mischievious look in Kurt's eyes.

"Oh, I can always bribe him." Blaine would, too, if he had to. He _would_ get some uninterrupted alone time with Kurt, dammit.

"Good." Kurt leaned forward and gave Blaine a chaste kiss on the cheek. "See you in the morning?"

"First thing." Blaine kissed him on the forehead, having to stand on his tip-toes to do it.

"Good night, sweetheart." Kurt was confident that he could walk the 15 or so steps to his bed on his own, and stepped back from Blaine.

"That's really my nickname?" Blaine asked.

"Yup. Or I could call you 'Gelfling'. Pick one." Kurt winked.

"Sweetheart is good. Sweetheart is great. No Jim Henson references for me, I get called 'Hobbit' more than enough." Blaine shook his head, then just about jumped a foot in the air when he heard Thad's voice again.

"GUYS! GO! TO! BED!" the door slammed this time.

Blaine gave Kurt another quick kiss on the lips, then ran back to his room before Thad could yell again. "Good night, Kurt!" he stage-whispered as he went.

"Good night, Blaine!" Kurt did the same, laughing to himself as he opened the door to his room. He noticed that Nick was still playing the Sims, and his eyes were slightly glazed over. "Good night, Nick. I'm shutting off the light." He waited for a response, which he never got. He sighed, then flicked off the light and hobbled over to his bed. He set the crutches down on the floor next to him and settled into bed, leaving his left leg out of the covers. He closed his eyes, blocking out the glow of Nick's computer, and let himself remember the feeling of Blaine's hands on him, the taste of his kisses. It only took him a few minutes, but soon enough, every last thought of Jeff and Simon was completely gone from his mind, replaced with thoughts of Blaine. Yeah, he'd have to get rid of Nick the next day; he needed some one-on-one time with his boyfriend.

* * *

**Next: Kurt and Blaine are finally together, but they have another hurdle to face: Mia Anderson.**


	14. The Family

**A/N: This is not at _all_ what I wanted, but I'm really hoping for the next chapter to come easier. I'm sorry it's late. :(**

* * *

"Seriously? Get over yourself and just _move_." Wes was glaring at Jeff, who had a stony set to his face, and his feet were planted; he apparently wasn't going anywhere.

"I don't see why I can't stay over here next to Riley. We're about the same height, we should be fine." Jeff's voice was calm and cool, the exact opposite of Wes's.

"You can't stand over there because it throws off the aesthetic! You have to stand next to Blaine, so he has two taller guys next to him! One short guy and one tall one just makes everything look, well, look _wrong_!" Wes dropped his hands to his side, frustrated with how things were turning out. The last couple days of rehearsal had been tense; Jeff barely spoke to anyone, and was usually the first out of the rehearsal hall, phone glued securely to his ear. It was only the 28th, only the 3rd day of rehearsal with Kurt back, and things were still weird.

All the boys (except Wes, who was in his 'rightful' place in front, directing) were lined up in their usual performance places, with Blaine in the center. Aaron, a taller, brown-haired boy, was on Blaine's left, and there was an empty spot on his right where Jeff was supposed to be.

"I'd rather stay over here, thanks." He was in the back, about as far away from Blaine as he could get. True, he and Simon had figured things out between the two of them, and he was proud to say that they were officially together, but being around Kurt and Blaine so often was… difficult. He knew he had hurt Kurt, and he knew how he felt about Blaine. Jeff was just surprised (and yeah, a little hurt) at how quickly the other two got together.

"Jeff! You don't get a choice here, _I'm_ the one in charge of this number, and you _will_ do what I ask you to do! Now move!" Wes shouted, then slammed his gavel (everyone was sure he carried it with him everywhere he went). When it hit the table, though, everyone gave a gasp. It split right down the middle of the head, and the look on Wes's face was enough for David to speak up before Jeff got another gavel (or piece, really) to the head.

"Oookay, everybody! Rehearsal's over, see you tomorrow night!" he clapped his hands together, and moved over to his best friend. Luckily, the other boys were smart enough to get out; none of them wanted to see the full effect of Wes's wrath.

Of course, Jeff was the first one out, scrambling faster than he normally did. Wes hadn't turned to look at him yet, he was still cradling his precious gavel, but as soon as he would have seen Jeff, he would have attacked. Kurt and Blaine took a little longer, obviously, but they eventually got out. The door closed behind them, and they heard Wes start yelling again.

"Wow." Kurt had his eyebrows raised, not sure if he should be amused, concerned, or afraid of what had just taken place. They were walking slowly, Blaine carrying just one backpack. They decided after one day that it was useless for him to carry two backpacks, with some of the same books in each, and instead had shared Kurt's bag (he insisted, it looked better), and each other's books.

"Yeah, wow." Blaine shook his head, walking alongside Kurt. He glanced down at the crutches, which were still silver, but the green and purple rhinestones had been replaced with dark blue and red ones. Kurt had said he didn't feel right, not coordinating with what he wore every day.

"Think Wes will be alright?" he asked, starting to walk a little faster. His arms were tired from holding up the crutches all day, and standing at rehearsal (in formation, no less) hadn't made it easier on him.

"Not sure. The gavel's actually a Warbler heirloom, passed from the head of council each year. It's over 80 years old, and Wes, well, he's a bit attached to it." He shrugged. "But he'll probably get over it. He broke it once at the beginning of the year, after throwing it at me."

"Throwing it at _you_?" Kurt was incredulous. "What the hell did you do?"

Blaine sighed. "He was making me sing these really high notes, notes that you could hit, not me." He shook his head at the memory, and held open the door to get outside. "I kept trying to hit them, but I couldn't. After about an hour of rehearsal that mostly consisted of me trying to hit the notes, Wes lost it. I didn't even see the gavel coming at me, I just felt it hit. Luckily, he aimed a little too high, and it just hit the top of my head, then hit the wall that was right behind me. The head came off, and I think people on the other side of the building could hear Wes yell." They walked in comfortable silence until they reached Windsor, both boys enjoying the warm weather.

_Woke up cold one Tuesday_

_I'm looking tired and feeling quite sick_

_I felt like there was something missing_

_In my day to day life_

_So I quickly opened the wardrobe_

_Pulled out some jeans and a t-shirt that seemed clean_

They both heard Blaine's phone go off, and as Blaine pulled it out to answer, Kurt mouthed 'Paulo Nutini?' He hadn't expected his boyfriend to like the singer.

"Hey, Mia, what's up?" Blaine greeted his sister. They walked inside, Blaine still being quite the gentlemen and holding open the door. Kurt walked past him, but waited for him so they could walk to the elevator together.

"No, Wes threw his gavel. Yeah, again. No, it wasn't at me this time, it was at someone else." He paused. "Yeah, he's right here, actually." He eyed Kurt warily, concerned of what his sister was going to say. "Well, I can, but I'll have to check with him to see if he-" Kurt heard loud voices, and Blaine had to pull the phone away from his ear. "Okay! Alright, alright, hold on!" he covered the mouthpiece of his phone with one hand. "Kurt, my family has invited you to dinner. It'll be at 6, so we have plenty of time to get there. Mia's practically demanding that you go."

Kurt looked a little scared, so Blaine tried to reassure him. "I'll be there, and so will my parents. I promise not to leave you alone with Mia or Jamie, I swear." Kurt finally nodded, realizing that he'd have to meet her eventually.

"Yeah, Mia, we'll be there. Tell Mom and Dad, okay? Alright, love you. See you soon." He hung up just as they got to the elevator.

Kurt pressed the button to go up. "So we're going to your house for dinner?" he tried to keep the slight panic out of his voice.

Blaine laughed, then wrapped an arm around Kurt's waist. "Unless you really don't want to. I can always call them back and say 'no'. I don't want you to feel like you have to."

He smiled. "Blaine, it's fine. I mean, you've met my family, and if you can deal with Finn, I can deal with Mia."

The elevator doors swung open, letting them in. "Good, because I think my mom's trying to talk your step-mom into doing a big family dinner. With everyone."

Kurt's eyes grew wide. That would be one interesting dinner…

* * *

"Tell me you have pictures. I really need pictures." Dinner was over, a great meal of lemon pepper chicken and veggies, and they were just waiting on Allison and Mia to finish with the banana and peach cupcakes in the kitchen. Blaine's dad, Samuel, was retelling a story of when Mia (in a fit of jealousy over her little brother getting a new bicycle) had shaved off one of his eyebrows while he slept.

"No! Dad, seriously? Why did you have to tell that story?" Blaine had his head in his hands, his face bright pink. Kurt was sitting next to him, laughing happily. Dinner had been great, and not too awkward, even with Mia making kissy faces at the two of them.

"Would you rather me tell the story about when you let Mia wax your legs?" Kurt let out a guffaw at that, laughing especially hard when Blaine's head hit the table.

"Dad!" he groaned.

Kurt finally composed himself, still with a big grin on his face. "I sense a pattern here. Mia, Blaine, hair removal, and mass embarrassment. I pretty much love this."

Blaine shot a glare at his boyfriend. "Oh, Mr. Hummel, don't forget, Finn happened to have found a YouTube video of you dancing in a leotard to 'Single Ladies'. I could easily have that playing on the school televisions tomorrow morning…" he winked.

"You wouldn't dare." Kurt's face color was close to Blaine's now.

"You did a dance to that song, too, Blainey. I think Mia has it on her phone, let me go get her." Jamie (who was positively adorable, Kurt decided) got up from the table.

"Jamison Alexander, so help me god, you do that and I'll make sure you know what it feels like to have _both_ your eyebrows shaved off." Blaine was now a deep pink color, more embarrassed than he thought he could be. He was glad though, Kurt seemed to be having a good time, and it was obvious that his family adored him.

"Fine." Jamie plopped back down in his chair, crossing his arms and jutting out his chin.

"Blaine, he looks just like you did when David stole your cookie at lunch today." Kurt knocked his shoulder against Blaine's, enjoying the look he was getting.

"Oh my god! Out! Mom, get OUT!" the three men (boys) at the table turned in the direction of the kitchen after hearing Mia's yell.

"What the hell?" Samuel stood up and moved toward the shut kitchen door, but jumped back quickly when Allison and Mia came running out, plumes of smoked following them.

"Jamie! Fire extinguisher! Blaine, get Kurt on the deck!" Allison yelled at her sons, who sprang into action. Before Kurt knew it, he was being carried (carried!) out of the formal dining room, through the gleaming sliding glass doors, and being set down on a cushioned patio couch. The action inside was still visible; Mia was just outside the kitchen door, holding a towel and fanning it toward the smoke. Jamie couldn't be seen, so Kurt could only assume he was inside the kitchen with his mother, using the fire extinguisher. Samuel was opening windows, and Kurt could smell the burning cupcakes.

"Holy-" Kurt started, still in a bit of shock over the rather quick turn of events.

"I'm so sorry, Kurt." Blaine interrupted him, dropping into the seat next to him. He looked eagerly at Kurt, his apology written all over his face.

"Blaine, don't be sorry, just explain." They heard a loud _crash_ and a shrieked '_sorry!_' from inside the house.

Blaine sighed. "That would be Jamie. He probably knocked over the stack of dirty plates." Kurt looked at him expectantly, trying quite hard to ignore the chaos inside the house. "Okay, so Mia kind of sucks at cooking."

"Noticed." Kurt raised an eyebrow. "So why was she in the kitchen with your mom?"

"Well, she's trying to learn how to bake, even though my mom spent most of Mia's teenage years trying to teach her. I guess my mom spaced it or something and let her back into the kitchen." Blaine shrugged. "I mean, I thought after we had the kitchen remodeled six years ago, Mom really wouldn't have let her back in there."

"Remodeled?"

"Yeah. This isn't the first time Mia's caught something on fire in there. For a while there, she wasn't even allowed to use the microwave. She tried to put a can of raviolis in there." Blaine laughed a little. "She's lucky, though, her husband Paul is a great cook, and he takes really good care of her." He smiled.

"It sounds like she needs it." Kurt glanced up, noticing the lack of smoke coming out of the house. "Wait, wasn't there a whole lot of smoke just a bit ago?" he was confused.

"Hmm?" Blaine seemed distracted. "Oh, yeah. Mom had a really good ventilation system put in when they did the remodel. It sucks up most of the smoke." They sat quietly for a few minutes.

"Blaine?" Kurt asked quietly.

"Yeah?" Blaine turned to face him. "You okay? Your leg? Do you need me to get you-"

"I'm fine." He smiled a little at Blaine's concern for him. It felt nice to have someone care about him like that. "I just had a question, though." He paused, not entirely sure how to word it. "Um, how did you… How did you get so strong? I mean, you picked me up like it was nothing, and ran out here with me in just a few seconds. It was like one minute you were Clark Kent, and the next, Superman." He blushed, but kept his eyes on Blaine.

"Superman? Really?" Blaine laughed. "All the superheroes out there and you go for that one?"

"Hush." Kurt's face was a light scarlet, and he was grateful for the darkness that was settling outside. He took a moment to look out at the backyard, a carefully manicured lawn with a small garden off to one side, a soccer goal set up against the far fence, and a nice big wooden swing set in the middle of the grass. It looked like a nice place to grow up.

"Well, to answer your question, I work out. Not too much, but on a pretty regular basis." Kurt could tell that Blaine was holding back a little, but he waited for Blaine to continue. "After everything at my old school, I wanted to make sure it wouldn't happen again. I didn't want to be the victim again, I couldn't do that."

Kurt reached over and held Blaine's hand. He glanced back at the house, and saw that the smoke was completely gone, but nobody was in the dining room. Maybe they had all decided to give the boys some privacy, he thought. He looked back at Blaine, who was staring unabashedly at him. He could feel Blaine's eyes sweep over his cheek, his neck, his chest. It took Kurt a second to get his bearings (Blaine was having this _effect_ on him, and he didn't know what to do), but he asked the question he had been thinking of for the past couple of minutes. "If you're so strong, why'd you let Jeff attack you that day?" he kept his voice low, in case anyone was listening.

Blaine was quiet for a few seconds before answering, which Kurt expected. "You don't like violence." He said simply. Kurt's questioning gaze made him elaborate. "You don't do well with it, I mean. You don't like seeing it, not even in movies, and when you do see it in shows, you get this look on your face, like you either want to throw up or run away, and it kills me. I hate seeing you like that. That day at McKinley when Karofsky shoved me, I saw your reaction. I didn't like that. And watching you push him off me? I wanted to wrap you up in my arms afterward. I should have been quicker, it was my fault, I provoked him, and the fact that you stepped in really scared me." Blaine hadn't meant to say that much.

"But Jeff attacked you for no reason, Blaine. If Wes and David hadn't pulled him off of you, he could have really hurt you." Kurt's voice sounded urgent. He looked into Blaine's eyes, practically pleading with him. "You have to promise me, sweetheart, that if something like that happens again, you have to fight back, no matter what you think I might feel right then. When you saved me, when Karofsky attacked me, you got in his face. You stopped him, and I need to know that you won't let yourself get hurt just to spare me having to see you be physically violent with someone. If they start it, defend yourself." He knew that Blaine probably wouldn't listen to him, but he had to try. He had to admit, too, that knowing Blaine did all that for him, felt kind of good.

"I'll try." Blaine smiled a little, and leaned into Kurt for a kiss. Kurt felt his lips mold to Blaine's, a feeling that was becoming second nature to him. They clasped hands, holding tight and not willing to let go, at least not until they heard someone clear their throat. Kurt could feel the blood rushing into his cheeks as he quickly pulled away from Blaine, and he looked up to see Jamie standing in front of them.

"Mom said it's time to come in, and you need to help clean up the kitchen." Jamie had a smirk on his face, and even though Kurt was mortified, he was glad that Blaine's dad hadn't been the one to interrupt them.

Blaine stood up, and helped Kurt up, too. "I'll be inside in a second. Can you get the door open for us, please?" he asked his little brother, who just nodded and skipped in front of them, whistling something that sounded a lot like 'Teenage Dream'. "'Kay, put your weight on me, I'll help you get back inside." Blaine wrapped his left arm tight around Kurt' waist, and pulled Kurt's right arm around his shoulders. Kurt leaned into him, surprised at how completely comfortable he felt trusting Blaine to help him get around without the crutches. They got back in fairly quickly, and Kurt picked up his crutches. He could still smell the smoke, and he could see some of it in the air, but all the doors and windows in that area were open, so he figured it would go away soon. He saw Blaine's parents in the kitchen, along with Jamie, but couldn't see Mia.

"Hey, I'm going to take you back to the front living room while I go pick up. We'll leave here in a little bit, okay? Let me just go help my parents." Kurt nodded, then accepted the sweet (but very chaste) kiss on the cheek from Blaine, who led him back into the room where their shoes were. He made sure that Kurt was settled comfortably on the lush green sofa (with the tv on the Oprah channel, of all channels), then went back to join his family. Kurt watched an Oprah rerun for a few minutes, but was distracted when he saw someone move in the corner of the room; Mia. He looked up, and watched her as she made her way to sit next to him on the couch; her long hair was now pulled up in a ponytail, and he clothes were different. She was wearing a pair of purple sweats that read FWCZ down one side, and a simple black v-neck tee.

"FWCZ?" he asked, pointing to her right leg.

"Oh, Fort Wayne Children's Zoo. I work there." She smiled at him.

"Blaine told me you worked at a zoo, I just didn't know which one." He felt a little nervous, being alone in a room with Mia. Blaine had said before that he wouldn't leave him alone with his siblings, but he guessed it couldn't be helped.

"I need you to do something for me." Her voice was serious, and she stared at him with an intensity that scared him a little. He couldn't think of anything to say, so he just nodded. "I start chemo on the 6th, next Friday. Blaine knows, but I know he's too scared to really say anything about it, at least to me. When he was getting bullied, the only reason any of us knew anything is that he'd come home with bruises, or we'd get a call from the principal."

Kurt sighed. "I know. Blaine's not really good with talking about anything he thinks is a 'weakness', even though getting harassed _isn't_ a weakness."

"My brother can be way too selfless. He's really good at deflecting, at making it seem like nothing's bothering him. He puts on this smile, this look on his face, and then it's like nothing's happened. I know that my cancer's really affecting him, Kurt."

Kurt nodded. He knew it was; Blaine had seemed a little more stressed out since finding out about his sister, and even though he tried to hide it, Kurt could tell. There were times he'd catch Blaine staring off into the distance, fear in his eyes. Even though the doctors got the tumor, the chance that it could come back, that she could get bad, it scared him.

"So the favor I need you to do is pretty simple, but I'm hoping you'll do it."

"Anything for Blaine." He said, maybe a little too earnestly; he could see the laugh Mia was holding back.

"Keep him company. Make him talk. Don't let him hide how he feels, don't let him pretend that it doesn't bother him. I know he really cares about you, and I think he could really open up to you. But sometimes, you'll have to make him."

"He's usually pretty open with me, but I know what you mean. I was the same way, too, when my dad was in the hospital." He thought back to how everyone in glee was reaching out to him, and how he kept pulling back from them. That was a mistake, he knew, and it was one he didn't want Blaine to make.  
"So you'll watch out for him?" Mia asked.

"Of course." He nodded.

"Good. Now, onto a different topic." He noticed the devilish glint in her eyes, and swallowed, trying to quell the fear that was growing in his stomach. "Don't be too afraid!" she laughed. "I just want to know what your intentions are with my brother. You recall, I asked you when you planned on putting out?"

He blanched, and started fumbling to find something to say. "I, uh, w-well, B-Blaine-"

"Mia!" the boy in question appeared in front of them, his face twisted into a pained expression. "What did I tell you about being nice to Kurt? Stop it!" he stalked over to them, and stood in front of his sister.

"I was just asking, Blainey! I mean, you're in high school, you've got hormones, and Mom and I are sick of having to do laundry so much!" Kurt had never seen Blaine so embarrassed, and he had to admit, even though he was getting embarrassed then too, it was still hilarious to him.

"Oh my _god_! Would you _stop?_" Kurt couldn't help but laugh; even though it was embarrassing for him too (and was Mia telling the truth about the sheets?), it was too funny not to laugh.

"You know I have to do this, why do you fight it?" Mia shook her head, a smirk on her face.

Blaine strode over to Kurt and helped him to his feet. "I'm going to take Kurt up to my room, to try and protect him from _you_." He glared pointedly at his sister. Kurt pulled the crutches up under his arms, and started to follow Blaine to the stairs, but was stopped by Mia's hand on his.

"Don't go looking in his bottom nightstand drawer, Kurt, I think he has a photoshopped picture of you naked. You might not want to see that." She said it with such an innocent face, Kurt could almost believe her.

"WE'RE GOING UPSTAIRS NOW!" Blaine shouted, his ears matching the pink of his face.

"Use protection!" Mia laughed gleefully, enjoying the hell she was putting her brother through. He might be hurting on some level, but she knew Kurt made him feel better. She only hoped that Blaine could confide in him, that he could tell Kurt when he needed help.

* * *

"Kurt, you're being really quiet." They were on their way back to Dalton, about halfway there. It was true, Kurt had been quiet for a bit, but he was focusing on his cell phone. Mia was texting him, trying her hardest to embarrass him from 15 miles away.

"Sorry, your sister's just making it difficult."

"Mia? Oh, god, Kurt, what did she do now?" Blaine groaned. Kurt looked up at him, smiling when he saw the look of dread on his face.

"Oh, nothing. Just telling me stories about you." Kurt's voice was playful.

"She lies. She does nothing but lie. Don't listen to her." Blaine knew what kind of stories Mia could tell, and most of them involved him and makeup, nakedness, or girl's clothes, and they were _all_ awfully embarrassing.

"So the story about you getting locked out of the house after she dared you to run around the front lawn naked is a lie?" Kurt was trying hard not to laugh.

"Yes. Total lie. Nothing of the sort happened." He would get her back for this. Kurt started laughing again, enjoying this far too much. "Oh, you be quiet. I'm sure I could get stories out of your dad and Finn, and I think they could even be worse than mine."

"That's okay, I'll just tell my dad some of the things Mia's told me already. He wouldn't even let me see you if he knew some of these things…" he let his voice trail off.

"I'm going to beat my sister." Blaine groaned again. "Can you stop texting her for a second and get me a bottle of water from the glove box?" he asked.

Kurt reached forward to open the glove box, but let out a squeak of surprise at what he found. Inside, there was a brightly colored box, reading _Trojan Pleasure Pack Lubricated Condoms_, and a large neon green post-it note attached.

"Oh my god, Blaine." Kurt gingerly picked up the package, and read the note out loud.

_Hi, boys, I got u the xtra large pak, since I know what teenage boys r like. ;) trust me, paul & I would go thru a box a week! Have fun and be safe! – mia  
ps – make sure you use lube, too, u'll be in a world of hurt if you don't :)_

The car was silent for a minute, and Kurt put it back in the glove box. He felt weird holding it, and now he felt even more odd knowing that it was still in the car with them.

"That was… oh god." Blaine was quiet.

"Your sister is-"

"Going to get her ass kicked as soon as she's done with chemo." Blaine's hands were tight around the steering wheel.

"Can I help?"

* * *

He was getting used to it; the cold, the sounds, the feel of the jumpsuit. He had his own room at the juvenile detention center, which he was immensely grateful for. His jaw was healing, along with his brow bone, and even though they would only give him mild strength Tylenol, he didn't hurt too badly anymore.

He hadn't talked, though, to anyone; not since the visit with his uncle and father. He was left alone for the most part, except when the guard brought him his homework at the end of the week. He worked quietly, finishing it and handing it back in quicker than he ever had. His parents visited every day, but he couldn't bear to look them in the eyes; he felt so ashamed of what he'd done. He knew that he had royally screwed up. By attacking Hummel like that, he had ruined whatever chance of a normal life he could have had. He hated himself.

* * *

**Mercedes: hey**

**Kurt: What's up?**

**Mercedes: not much, just got back from Rachel's. she wanted me to help her with some ideas for nationals.**

**Kurt: nice.**

**Mercedes: so, how are you?**

**Kurt: I'm okay. Really tired, but that's it. We just got back from Blaine's house.**

**Mercedes: ?**

**Kurt: his family invited us over for dinner, so we went. His family lives in Newark, so they're only like, 45 minutes away.**

**Mercedes: ah. How was it?**

**Kurt: really fun, but it got awkward a few times. His sister's interesting, I'll say that much.**

**Mercedes: what did she do?**

**Kurt: well, she started a fire in the kitchen, talked to me about her treatment, and then left a box of condoms with an embarrassing note in Blaine's car.**

**Mercedes: woooow**

**Kurt: yeah.**

**Mercedes: Lol, other than that how was it**

**Kurt: it was pretty good. His mom is an amazing cook, and his dad is pretty funny. Told me stories about Mia shaving one of Blaine's eyebrows off when he was little, and about Blaine's first driving experience. They even showed me pictures of the broken garage door.**

**Mercedes: omg tell me you have pics of Blaine, sans eybrow.**

**Kurt: I'm working on it. Mia wants something in return.**

**Mercedes: single ladies vid?**

**Kurt: she's already seen it.**

**Mercedes: mellencamp?**

**Kurt: … You may be on to something.**

**Mercedes: ;)**

**Kurt: I'll let you know when I get them.**

**Mercedes has logged off**

**Kurt: ?**

**Kurt: Cedes?**

**Kurt: wth?**

**Mercedes has logged on**

**Mercedes: ugh, sorry, Kurt. I pushed the wrong button.**

**Kurt: that's fine, I was just worried there for a bit. I thought maybe your mom turned off the internet again.**

**Mercedes: Don't even joke about that! Ugh, I never want to go through that again. I don't know how I went so long without Facebook.**

**Kurt: you stole my phone. Or do you not remember?**

**Mercedes: oh, yeah. Hehe, sorry.**

**Kurt: Sure you are.**

**Mercedes: it's not my fault that you left your phone unattended. That was all you.**

**Mercedes: you there?**

**Mercedes: Hey, are you having issues over there? Is Blaine in your room?**

**Mercedes: omg, Blaine **_**is**_** there, isn't he!**

**Kurt: Hey, Mercedes. Sorry to keep you waiting, but Kurt's busy right now. He'll text you tomorrow!**

**Mercedes: Bye, Blaine. HAVE FUN!**

**Kurt has logged off**

* * *

**Next: Kurt and Blaine have a conversation, neither one of them expecting a confession that comes along with it.**


	15. The Limit

**WARNING: Trigger warning for self-harm, and possible tips. Read A/N at the bottom for more information.**

**A/N: Sorry it took me so long to post. I was going to finish writing last night, but then Dalton updated, and well, yeah. I had to read that one, duh. This is a longer chapter than I expected to write, and there are things in here that I wasn't sure I'd post. I'll keep the rating to a T for now, but I might go up to an M. Maybe. Enjoy!**

* * *

"I think we need to get Wes a prescription for Prozac or something." Kurt groaned as he sat down on Blaine's bed. Rehearsal that day had been a bit brutal, thanks to Wes still not having his gavel back. Friday's rehearsal had been canceled because of it (and Wes didn't even go to classes that day), but David and Thad told him that no way in hell he was going to cancel rehearsal for Monday, too.

"We've tried. We've even put some of those 'calming pills' from GNC in his coffee in the mornings. Nothing works." Blaine set their shared book bag down on his desk, then sat down next to Kurt. "We finally convinced him to start doing yoga, but he's not doing it as often as he used to."

"Yoga? Where?" Kurt asked. He used to do yoga, but since he had a cast on his leg, he couldn't.

"At the Westerville rec center. It's just a few miles away, but he hasn't gone for a while." Blaine slipped off his blazer and let it drop to the floor.

"Well, as soon as I get this damn cast off, maybe I'll force Wes to go to yoga with me." He smiled.

"You do yoga?" Blaine asked, his interest piqued.

"Of course. How else do you explain the jumps and stunts I had to do with the Cheerios? Without yoga, I wouldn't have been able to do any of them." Blaine got a sudden image of Kurt bent over, in the process of doing Downward Dog. "Blaine?" Kurt had noticed the far-away look in his eyes.

"Hmm?" Kurt laughed at Blaine's half-assed response.

"Can you do me a favor?" his back and ribs had been hurting lately, and even though he could take care of the pain in his chest, the bruises on his back were more difficult to get to.

"What do you need?" Blaine fully turned toward Kurt, trying to banish the not-so-appropriate images that had taken control of his brain.

Kurt pointed to the bag on the desk. "I need you to help me out. There should be a tube of arnica in the front pouch, can you get it for me?" Blaine nodded, then got up to get it. He had only been turned away for a moment, but when he turned back to Kurt, his breath stopped in his throat; Kurt was still sitting on the bed, but his Dalton sweater was now resting next to him, and his long, nimble fingers were in the process of unbuttoning his white Oxford.

"Um, Kurt?" Blaine could barely find his voice.

"Give me a second to get this off, then I need your help putting it on my back." He finished with the buttons, and Blaine watched the long muscles in his arms move when he pulled the shirt off and let it fall to the bed behind him.

Blaine kept staring, a little slack-jawed.

"Blaine?" Kurt looked at his boyfriend, a little concerned. "You okay?" He saw the way Blaine's hands tightened around the arnica, but he didn't see the narrowed eyes, darkened with a tad bit (okay, a lot) of lust. "Earth to Blaine… You alive in there?" Kurt laughed a little.

"Oh, yeah, sorry. Just a little tired, I guess." Blaine cleared his throat. "Now what was it you wanted me to do?"

"Just come over here, and I'll show you where I need the cream at. I've been using arnica on my bruises for years, but I just can't really reach some of them right now, not without really hurting myself." He twisted his torso a little, and pointed at a small cluster of bruises on the bottom ride side of his ribs on his back. "Right here. I can't really reach it, it's too difficult. Help?"

Blaine swallowed, then took a few tentative steps toward Kurt. "Y-yeah, I can help. Do you want to like, lie down or something?" he asked.

"Um, that might be easier, yeah. I'll lie down. I'll need your help with my leg, though." Kurt looked pointedly at the leg that was still ensconced in the heavy cast. Blaine set the tube on his nightstand, and quickly (but gently) lifted Kurt's leg, watching him move until he was lying down on his stomach, his head resting in his arms. He grabbed one of his pillows and set Kurt's leg under it, asking if he was comfortable. When Kurt responded in the affirmative, Blaine rolled up his sleeves, slipped off his tie, grabbed the tube of arnica, then moved to sit next to him.

"Kurt?"

"Yeah?" Kurt's voice was muffled by his arms.

"I don't think I'm going to be able to really get you too well. Should I, like, straddle your legs or something?" Blaine's face was getting more and more red as he spoke; he wasn't sure how Kurt would take what he said.

"If you think that'll make it easier, sure." He kept his voice light, not really sure if having Blaine on top of him was a good idea or not. He didn't spend much time thinking about it, because before he knew it, Blaine's knees were on either side of Kurt's hips, and he could feel him sit down lightly, resting on the backs of Kurt's upper thighs.

"This spot right here?" Blaine asked, stroking a finger along the cluster of bruises on top of a rib.

"Yeah." Kurt breathed, trying not to focus too much on the feel of Blaine on top of him. He heard the cap twist open, and then saw the tube go back on the nightstand.

"I'm going to warm it up a little, okay, Kurt? It feels a little cold." Blaine started rubbing his fingers together, trying to make it warmer. It didn't take too long; he imagined that his body temperature was already warmer than usual. Taking a deep breath, he pressed his fingers into Kurt's back, not missing the slight shudder that went through Kurt's body. "Is this okay?" he asked, his voice lower than normal.

"Y-yeah, Blaine, it's okay." Kurt buried his head in his arms, trying to ignore the lack of blood in his brain. He had no idea that asking Blaine to help him would end up like this. They were both silent for a minute; Blaine gently working his fingers over the bruises, rubbing the cream wherever he could see a splash of purple or blue, or the awful green/yellow mixture they were when they were at their worst. He let his eyes wander over Kurt's (surprisingly) muscular back while he worked, enjoying the view. Kurt had muscles, that much was obvious; they just weren't as pronounced as Blaine's. The muscles in his back were like the ones in his arms; long, sinewy, and what Blaine imagined a gymnast's might be like. He was staring at the top of Kurt's shoulders, admiring the light dusting of freckles there, when he saw it; a tree. Not really a tree, no, just the pattern of one. Kurt had freckles on his shoulders, sure, but a barely visible line of them down his spine looked like they could be part of a tree trunk. He smirked to himself, before moving his hands from Kurt's side and getting off of him.

"What are you doing?" Kurt asked, confused at the lack of contact.

"Don't move." Blaine started rifling through his desk drawer, looking for a specific box.

"Seriously, Blaine, what are you doing?" Kurt lifted his head to stare at Blaine, who wasn't really looking at him.

"Just, hold still. I won't take long, just don't move."

"You're freaking me out." Kurt's voice was getting louder.

"Kurt, shh. You really don't want anyone to bust in here right now, do you?" he asked, a laugh in his voice.

"Ugh." Kurt turned his head away from Blaine, dropping it back on his arms.

Blaine looked down into the back of his drawer, and couldn't find the box. "Oh, wow." He realized he'd left it in David's room.

"What?"

"Don't turn around, stay there. Don't go anywhere, I'll be right back." Blaine started toward the door.

"Blaine, I'm half-naked on your bed, with a massive cast on my leg. Where would I go?"

Blaine hid a chuckle. "I'll be right back." It only took him a few minutes, and surprisingly very few awkward questions, and he was back in his room, locking the door quietly behind him.

"That was fast." Kurt remarked, his head still turned away from Blaine. "Where did you go?"

"David's." Blaine popped open the cardboard box quietly, then took out one green marker. He had bought the box of washable markers some time ago, for a project that he and another student had been assigned in his Music Tech class, and had left them in David's room. When he saw the possible tree on Kurt's back, he couldn't help himself; he had to draw it. He re-straddled Kurt, still being extra careful, and popped the cap on the marker.

"What was that?" Kurt asked, a little concerned.

"Uh, nothing. Don't worry about it. Just hold still, okay?" Blaine didn't want to get caught, at least not until he had drawn a proper tree.

"You're not going to hurt me or touch my hair, are you?" Kurt asked.

"Nope." Blaine smiled, then set the marker very carefully at the bottom of Kurt's spine. The way he was sitting, it was directly between his legs, his ass right above Kurt's.

"That's cold." Kurt shivered a little at the contact.

"Sorry, babe, this won't take long." He slid the marker up the light row of freckles, giggling a little at the line that followed.

"Blaine... What are you doing?" Kurt was officially concerned; the maniacal giggles escaping from Blaine's lips were worrisome, along with the cold line up his back.

"Nothing, just hold still." Kurt could hear the laughter in his voice.

"Oookay, that's enough. Tell me what you're doing." Kurt moved to turn over, but Blaine grabbed his upper arm to keep him down. Unfortunately for Blaine, the green marker was in that hand. "Were you _drawing_ on me?" Kurt yelled.

Blaine tried to deny it, but he knew he was caught. "M-maybe! But Kurt, you have this like, tree on your back, and I just wanted to see it!"

"Tree?" Kurt's voice was still raised, and even though he wasn't actually pissed (how could he be, with Blaine on his ass like that?), he still wanted to know what the hell was going on.

"In your freckles! Your really light freckles, there's a tree pattern in them!" Blaine was holding the marker to his chest now, a little afraid of what Kurt would do if he got a hold of it. He looked down at the boy beneath him, grateful that he was on top of him at that moment. Kurt was still on his stomach, but he was holding himself up, and trying to twist around. Blaine didn't want to put too much weight on Kurt, so he wasn't fully sitting on him, but he knew that he could keep Kurt down if he needed to. He didn't, however, account for the amount of strength that Kurt had in his hips, and yelled as he was unceremoniously bucked up, and fell to the floor with a thud. Kurt turned himself around as quickly as he could with the cast, and was prepared for when Blaine got back up.

"Blaine, don't you dare. Put the marker down, or I swear to god I'll-" he didn't get the chance to finish, because Blaine was back on top of him, his fingers tickling his sides and chest in the spots he knew would get Kurt laughing.

"Had enough yet, Hummel? Had enough?" Blaine was laughing at Kurt's misfortune. Kurt couldn't really move, so he was forced to lie on the bed and take the tickle attack. He tried to get Blaine to stop, gasping in-between half-hearted shouts of 'stop' and 'hell no', but it was pointless; Blaine had him pinned, and he wasn't going anywhere. They had only been play-fighting for a minute or two when Blaine dipped his head down, desperate to taste Kurt's lips on his own. Kurt lifted himself on his elbows, meeting Blaine halfway. He couldn't stop the groan of satisfaction that reverberated through his chest, right up into Blaine's hot mouth. Blaine let the marker drop somewhere on the bed, not really caring about stains at the moment. He kept one hand on Kurt's side, holding him away gently, not wanting to put pressure on his tender ribs. He let the other hand move up Kurt's lightly defined chest, lingering when he brushed his thumb over one nipple, then the other. Kurt arched into Blaine's touch, another heady moan interrupting the kiss. Blaine felt Kurt's hands creep up his back, his thumbs hooking over the waistband, and his fingers pushing into the top of his ass over the slacks.

Blaine could barely focus on anything; there were too many sensations, too many feelings going through him. He could feel the muscles in Kurt's chest as they tensed and released with each swipe of his fingers; he could hear the gasps that he and Kurt couldn't stop. He could smell Kurt's shampoo and conditioner, the vanilla scent filling his nostrils, and he could taste (oh god, that taste) the coffee and cinnamon on his lips, his tongue, and the roof of his mouth. He let his own tongue trace nonsense along Kurt's teeth, nibbling here and there on his bottom lip. The moan that Kurt let go that time was louder, and Blaine felt fingers dig harder into his ass, thumbs pulling the pants down a little bit. Blaine bucked down onto Kurt, letting his body do his thinking for him, and let out a whimper when he felt a hardness that matched his own. Kurt's eyes flew open at the contact, not quite believing it. He let himself move up to meet Blaine the second time, the sounds coming from his boyfriend making him bolder. Kurt used his hands the next time, using his grip on Blaine's waistband to pull him down harder, angling him just right. That proved to almost be too much for Kurt, who let out a cry of pain as Blaine's leg pushed in on Kurt's broken one.

"Oh, shit, Kurt, I'm so sorry, baby, I'm so-" Kurt moved a hand from Blaine's pants, and lifted a finger to his lips.

"It's fine, don't worry. You, uh, might need to move, though." He didn't want to look down, afraid at what he might see.

"Y-yeah, yeah, of course." Blaine moved quickly, settling himself next to where Kurt was laying. They were quiet for a minute, neither one wanting to break the silence, or address what had happened.

Kurt finally spoke, his voice more solid than he thought it might be. "I'm sorry about that, Blaine, I didn't think that would happen." Blaine didn't say anything. "I mean, I thought it would, just, you know, not now."

Blaine rolled over onto his side, meeting Kurt's gaze head-on (no pun intended, really). "I know. Neither did I." he sighed. "It was, nice, though, wasn't it?" he asked, a little unsure of himself.

Kurt smiled a little, his blush returning. "Yeah. It was." Blaine grinned back at him, feeling a little less self-conscious.

"I mean, it's not like I've ever done that before, so it was all new and crazy and I had _no_ idea it could feel that good. Just touching, just feeling." Blaine had a lazy smiled plastered on his face, his eyes glued to Kurt's. He noticed the little flinch they gave, and he was suddenly concerned he had done something wrong. "Kurt, did I say something?" he asked, a little afraid of what he would say.

Kurt sighed, then looked away for a second before he answered. He knew he'd have to have this kind of a talk with Blaine eventually, but he didn't think it would be so soon. "No, Blaine. You didn't say anything wrong." He was quiet.

"Then tell me what's going on. You're kind of worrying me, did I push you to go too far?" Kurt saw the concern in Blaine's face, the worry that he really _had_ pushed Kurt too far. He didn't want to tell Blaine that he'd already gone that far, just with another boy.

"No, no, Blaine, you didn't push me too far. I was worried that _I_ had pushed _you_ too far." He looked guiltily at his curly-haired boyfriend, not wanting to say anything else.

"Trust me, Kurt. I'm more than okay with what we just did. Yeah, I've never done anything like that before, but I would definitely _not_ mind doing that with you again." Blaine grinned, excited at the idea of it all. He was about to lean in and kiss Kurt again, but stopped when he saw the apprehension on his face. "Kurt?" he was quiet.

"How far have you gone before?" he blurted out

Blaine wasn't sure how to answer that. "What?"

Kurt groaned, and covered his face with one hand. "I mean sexually, Blaine. How far have you gone?" He was starting to regret ever asking the question.

"W-well, I guess what we just did." Blaine didn't know where this conversation was going.

"So just with me?" Kurt looked at him, trying to get the courage to ask more.

"Yeah, just with you. I told you before, Kurt, I've never dated anyone, you're my first boyfriend."

"That doesn't mean you haven't done any of this before. You don't have to be dating someone to _do_ things with them. Just look at Santana and Finn." Kurt had told Blaine about his stepbrother's one night stand with the Cheerio.

"Kurt, I'm not that kind of person. I guess I'm just a little old-fashioned; I think that if you're going to do things like that with someone, you should be in a relationship with them."

Kurt was quiet for a minute, thinking. "So I'm really the first person you've done things with?"

Blaine sighed, then leaned forward to take Kurt's hands in his own. "Kurt, I swear to you, you are the _only_ person I've ever touched like this. You're the only person I've ever let touch _me_ like this." His eyes were earnest, and Kurt was starting to feel a little guilty. "I know you've, well, _done_ things with Jeff, and while I really don't want to think about that, I know that things happened."

"Blaine-" Kurt started.

"No, this is something we need to talk about. You wanted to know how far I've gone, and now I'm asking how far _you've_ gone." Blaine was nervous now, not sure what kind of an answer to expect.

"About as far as we just did." Kurt didn't want to go into detail.

"Nothing else?" Blaine sat up as he asked, still keeping a hold of Kurt's hands.

"No." Kurt sighed. "Jeff wanted more, he always wanted more, but I didn't want to. He respected me enough to take 'no' as an answer, though, he never pushed." There had been moments when Kurt and Jeff were alone, when they'd be making out, and Kurt could hear the desperate whine in the back of Jeff's throat. He knew that he and Simon had had sex before, and that Jeff would probably want to do that with him, but he was in no way ready to take that step.

"So you and Jeff never…" Blaine let the question trail off.

"No, we never had sex." Kurt blushed. "And there wasn't any 'below-the-belt' kind of touching, either. I wasn't ready for that." He could see the tension leave Blaine's shoulders.

"I'm really sorry, Kurt, for asking all that." Even though he felt better knowing that Kurt was about as new to this as he was, he still felt a little guilty for asking.

"I started it, asking about you." Kurt dropped his eyes to their hands, their fingers intertwining and drawing soft circles on each other. "But it's better now, right? Knowing that we're both-"

"Virgins?" Blaine asked, laughing a bit.

"Yeah, virgins." He didn't make eye-contact, it was still a bit too awkward for him. Blaine didn't say anything either, he just let himself fall back onto the bed. He let go of one of Kurt's hands and wrapped it around his waist, gently pulling him closer. They stayed like that for a while, neither one willing to move, neither one needing to talk. It was a comfortable silence; listening to the easy breathing of each other, the soft heartbeats that were almost in sync. Kurt couldn't help but compare this moment to some of the ones he'd had with Jeff; this was definitely better. Blaine was a tactile person, always touching Kurt in some way, but it was almost never sexual (unless Kurt wanted it that way). With Jeff, Kurt always felt like he wanted something, wanted more. It wasn't bad, not at all, it just wasn't what Kurt wanted. He preferred this, for sure.

* * *

"You're not gonna talk to me?" Dave's Uncle Nathan was trying to get his attention, but he wasn't even looking up at him. "Okay, fine, you don't wanna talk, don't talk. The prelim hearing is this Friday, the 6th, at 2 in the afternoon. You'll be transported there around 1:30. Your mom and dad are going to drop off a suit for you either Wednesday or Thursday, and you'll need to wear that. They won't let you out to get a haircut or anything, but I'll need you to shave, you need to look young and innocent."

Dave looked up at him from across the cold metal table, noting the differences between them. Nathan was taller than he was, and was definitely skinnier. Dave thought he looked like a beanpole, but he'd never say it. His hair was thick, but tamed into a careful coif, and it was completely gray. His suit was clean and crisp, one of his many that he wore on a regular basis. While Nathan kept trying to talk to him about the hearing, Dave zoned out and started staring at his uncle's moving hands. He noticed the white line on his ring finger, a permanent tan line from 25 years of marriage that had ended in a nasty affair his wife had with one of his law partners.

"Dave!" he jumped a little at the sudden shout from his uncle, then winced as the movement jarred his headgear. "Jesus Christ! I need you to pay attention!"

Dave didn't want to pay attention. He just didn't see the point anymore; he had basically resigned himself to the idea of going to jail, of going to prison. He was almost 18, they would most likely charge him as an adult, and there was no way they'd let him off easy. They'd try to make an example out of him, try to stop other kids from doing what he'd done. Dave understood, he really did, but that didn't mean he wanted to go through with it. He couldn't wait to be alone again, tucked away in his safe little room (it was a cell, but the damn staff there called them rooms).

"Dammit, just nod or something so I know you heard me." His uncle had a defeated tone to his voice, like he knew he wasn't getting across. Dave looked up at him, his eyes dead. He had no idea what Nathan had said, and he didn't really care. "I said that Hummel kid and the rich kid are going to be there on Friday, so you need to prepare yourself to look really regretful in front of them. Maybe think of some sort of apology to say, or write."

He looked up, not quite believing what he said. Hummel would be there? And that Blaine kid? He felt his stomach do a sickening flip. He didn't think he'd have to face them so soon; he wasn't sure he could.

* * *

"You are not buying glow-in-the-dark condoms, Jeff, that's just tacky." Simon shook his head as he and Jeff walked down the main hall of Dalton, toward the lunch room.

"Like the multi-colored ones _aren't_?" he laughed, tugging on Simon's sleeve. "And by the way, saying 'come on and taste the rainbow' is _not_ a turn-on, babe. And no, we are not having 'Blow Job Tuesdays', either."

Simon's cheeks turned a little red at the memory from the night before. "Cut me some slack, I was trying to be sexy, like you wanted me to. Besides, we still have almost 12 whole hours of Tuesday, it could still be the blow job day." He winked.

"Simon, honey, that wasn't sexy. That was cheesy." They both laughed, realizing that yes, it was cheesy, but it was also kind of adorably _them_. Jeff was about to suggest they stop talking about condoms and various sex acts on their way to lunch, but then he saw Kurt and Blaine across the hall. "Hey, I need to talk to Kurt for a second. Is that alright?" he hadn't planned on talking to Kurt, but he knew he needed to.

"Um, yeah, if you need to." Simon didn't really want him to talk to his ex-boyfriend, but he knew that saying 'no' would only piss Jeff off.

Jeff gripped Simon's hand tightly, then walked toward the other two boys. "Hey, Kurt, can I talk to you for a second?" he asked when he got to them. He noticed that Blaine suddenly stood taller, straightening out his spine, and clenching his jaw.

Kurt noticed, too. "Blaine, it's okay, meet me at our table, I'll be there in a minute." He smiled a reassuring smile at his boyfriend. Blaine looked at Jeff for a long moment, then nodded. He leaned in to Kurt's ear and whispered something that Jeff couldn't hear, then walked quickly past him, not making eye contact once.

"Lead the way, Jeff. I doubt you want to talk out here in the hall." Kurt was right, he didn't. Jeff looked around, and noticed an empty classroom a few doors down, one of the math rooms. He waited for Kurt, then headed down the hall. They got to the room, and Jeff shut the door quietly behind them, not sure he wanted anyone to overhear anything he might say. Kurt didn't sit down, so neither did Jeff.

"I'm sorry." Jeff blurted out, a little louder than he expected. Kurt stared at him, surprised. "For everything, I mean. For what I did to you. It wasn't fair, I shouldn't have done it, and I'm so, so sorry."

Kurt was quiet, not quick to say anything. He tried to take in what he had just heard, tried to see if Jeff was being serious. "Do you mean it?"

"God, yes. I never, _ever_ wanted to hurt you, Kurt. I didn't plan on anything I did, and I wish I could have made different choices." Jeff really did feel terrible about what happened. He knew he had really hurt the boy in front of him, and he never meant to. At the time, he was just thinking with his dick, something that had always been an issue with him.

"Did I lead you on?" Kurt looked down at the floor.

Surprised, Jeff asked "What?"

Kurt sighed, and looked back up. "Did I lead you on?" he didn't know how else to ask it.

"No!" Jeff might have been a little too loud in his protest. "At least, I don't think so." He looked confused, his eyebrows drawn in.

"You don't _think_ so?" Kurt asked. "What do you mean?"

"Well, you didn't actively sit there and go '_oh, there's Jeff, I'll kiss him and date him until Blaine figures out what the hell he's doing'_, did you?" Jeff used little air quotes as he spoke.

"Um, no." Kurt raised an eyebrow.

"Then I don't think you led me on. At least not on purpose." It was Jeff's turn to look down. "And if you led me on, then I guess I led you on." He shrugged. "I mean, we both kind of had other people on the brain when we got together. Blaine had just blown you off in a roundabout way, and I don't think I ever got over Simon. I liked you, don't get me wrong," he raised his hands, "and I think you liked me too, but neither one of us was really in the relationship for each other, you know?" he wasn't sure he was making any sense.

Kurt was silent for a couple seconds, thinking about what Jeff had just said. It was true, he had still been reeling over what had happened around Valentine's Day. And the idea that someone found him attractive, that someone had wanted him…

"Kurt?" Jeff interrupted his thinking.

"You're right." Kurt acknowledged it. "You're right, Jeff. It doesn't make what we did okay, and it _definitely_ doesn't make what _you_ did okay, but you're right."

"I'm still sorry." Kurt could hear the guilt in his voice, and let him continue. "I know I can't go back in time and not do what I did, but I am sorry."

"Listen, Jeff, I don't know if I can forgive you. It hurt, a lot. It still does. Yeah, I'm with Blaine now, and I'm so happy with him, but essentially being cheated on, it sucks." Everything he was saying was the truth; he was hurting still, and Jeff needed to know it. "Like you said, there's not really anything we can do about it, but move on. I'm moving on, I really am, and I know you are. I don't want you to think that I hate you or anything, though."

"No, no. I don't hate you, either." Jeff sounded grateful to hear it. "We can be friends, right?"

Kurt didn't say anything right away, and Jeff regretted his words immediately. "Not right now, I don't think." He was careful in choosing what to say. "Eventually, maybe, I think we could have some sort of a friendship. Let's be honest, Jeff, we weren't really friends before all this, so it would still be new territory." He paused. "Right now, I need to focus on me, and focus on Blaine. We're pressing charges against Karofsky for what happened, and that's supposed to be a really big deal, so I don't really have too much time to do anything else."

"That's fine, Kurt, totally fine." Jeff hadn't realized that so much was going on. Of course they were going to press charges against that asshole, and of course Kurt was going to be busy. It was silly of him to think that they could try to form a friendship, especially when everything that happened was so fresh in their minds.

"But I'm not saying 'no' to a friendship, Jeff, I'm saying 'maybe', and 'later'. Don't think I'm turning you down or anything, I'm just not really ready for any of that right now. Do you understand?" Kurt knew he sounded a little confusing, but he hoped Jeff could follow along.

"Yeah, I do." They were quiet for a few more seconds, until Jeff broke the silence again. "Well, I think Simon and Blaine are waiting for us, we should probably get going." Kurt nodded in agreement, and led the way back to the door of the classroom. It didn't take long for them to get back to the lunch room, and separate at the entrance. Kurt hobbled slowly around the groups of tables until he found Blaine sitting with Wes and David, a lunch tray with his favorites already in his spot. He handed Blaine his crutches, then let him help him sit down, and as he opened his Diet Coke with a satisfying _hiss_, he saw Jeff on the other side of the room. They shared a quick look, one of understanding. Things were far from okay, and they both knew it, but they also knew that they could work on making it better. Kurt turned away from the blonde boy, focusing instead on the gorgeous boyfriend in front of him.

* * *

"But I don't _want_ to wear a suit, Mom." Finn was standing in the kitchen, his arms crossed. His mother was trying to get him to try on the suit he had worn the year before (at the disaster of a dinner where he announced that Quinn was 'having my baby', which wasn't really his baby but that didn't matter anymore). He knew he should probably look nice for the hearing that Friday, but he didn't understand why he couldn't just wear a nice shirt and some pants that didn't have holes in them.

"Finn Christopher Hudson, this is not about what you want." Carole only used Finn's full name when she got really frustrated with him, and this was one of those times. Finn rolled his eyes, then put out his arm. Carole draped the hanger with the suit on it over his outstretched arm, then pointed upstairs. "Go try it on, then come show me how it looks. We still have a little time, I can lengthen the pants if I need to."

He turned on his heel and stomped out of the kitchen, all the way up the carpeted stairs and into his bedroom, across the hall from Kurt's. He knew that arguing with his mother would just piss her off, and even though it was kind of funny to hear her voice go up an octave when she yelled, he knew it wouldn't be a good idea. And, he admitted to himself, it really _wasn't_ about him, it was about Kurt.

It didn't take him too long (he was really getting used to the stupid wrist brace) before he was dressed, and he looked himself over in the long mirror behind his bedroom door. He was lucky, the suit still fit. It wasn't the most comfortable thing, and remembering the things that happened the last time he wore it didn't make him feel much better, but at least it fit.

"Jeez, Kurt. The things I do for you." He sighed, then opened the door to show his mom.

* * *

**Hey, little brother. I figured I'd write you a quick email before I head out for my first chemo appointment. You know I'm not really good at admitting the hard things, at least not vocally, so I'm emailing you.**

**Yeah. I'm a bit freaked out. I'm scared. The diagnosis and initial surgery was one thing; it was so fast, one second I was just feeling sick and the next I find out I have cancer. Biopsy, surgery, recovery, BAM, it's over. But this is different. They're not too sure yet just how long they want me to do the chemo for, but I guess it all depends on how well it works. If it doesn't… I don't even want to think about that possibility, and I know you don't either.**

**Did Mom tell you that she's taking a week off of work for me? I feel bad about that. She even hired a new worker for the bakery so they can deal with her absences during my treatment. I didn't think I'd feel so guilty about all this, but I really do. Even Jamie's offered to stay home from baseball practice to help me with whatever I need. Dad's really freaked, but he's trying to hide it, like he did when you got attacked. I caught him smoking this morning, which, if you remember, he hasn't done since Jamie was a baby. He tried to put the cigarette out, but he burned his desk instead. He fed me some line about the "stress of his job" getting to him, but he wouldn't look me in the eyes. It makes me feel like shit, you know, that Dad's smoking again, that Mom's taking time off of work.**

**And poor Paul, Jesus. I keep telling him he can just stay in Fort Wayne, come see me once a month or so, but he's already here today, he left work early. He even had a photo shoot with some college cheerleading team, and he let one of the other photographers do it. I think he's nuts. ;)**

**I have to get going here in a minute, Dad's driving me up to the hospital and I still need to put on pants (do you know where my OSU sweats are, btw? Can't find them). I love you, Blainey, don't forget that, you little shit.**

**- MiMiMiMia!**

**PS- tell that hot little boyfriend of yours that he needs to come back over soon, I think I kinda miss him… :)**

* * *

"Karofsky!" he heard the guard yell. He finished tying his simple black tie, then stepped away from the mirror. He no longer had the stupid headgear (which didn't do much other than keep his jaw in place), so he was able to shave that morning. It still hurt to talk, which he had tried to do a little bit that morning when he met with his parents and uncle, but he'd just have to push through it. The door to the room (cell) opened, and the familiar guard led him out. The hearing was at 2, and it was already 1:30; they had to leave now. He took a deep breath, and tried to calm himself. He could do this.

* * *

"I can't get this right, Ku- OH MY GOD WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" Finn was standing in Kurt's bedroom, his red tie hanging loosely around his neck. Kurt was sitting on the edge of his bed, with Blaine on his knees in front of him. Finn was torn between jumping at Blaine and kicking his ass, and running out the door screaming, but he just ended up standing there, a shocked look on his face.

"Finn! He's helping me with my cast! Chill out!" Kurt yelled back, albeit a little bit more quiet than Finn's outburst. Blaine just looked up at Finn, his eyes wide and frightened.

"Y-your cast?" Finn looked down, a little afraid to. Sure enough, Blaine was working on removing the rhinestones from the black cast.

"Yes, Finn, he's helping me." He spoke slowly, over-enunciating the words as if he was speaking to a small child.

"Sorry." Finn apologized sheepishly. "But you can't blame me, the last time I walked in on you and Blaine you were-"

"Finn!" Kurt stopped him again. "What do you need?"

"Um, my, uh, my tie. I can't get it right." He shrugged. "I need your help." All the times that they had performance that required the boys to wear ties, he always had issues, but with the wrist brace, it was even harder. He tried convincing his mother that he didn't need it anymore, but a quick call to the doctor assured Carole that he needed to wear it for at least one more week full time, then he could start wearing it at night only.

"I would, Finn, but I can't help you right now. We've got to get these off soon, and they're not coming off easy." He gestured toward his boyfriend, who was holding a pair of needle-nose pliers and trying to pry off a particularly sparkly rhinestone. "The lawyer said I should 'dress down' a little, look a little more professional, so they have to come off." He looked a little sad.

"Hey, babe, we can always put them back on later." Blaine smiled up at him. Finn noticed that Blaine was wearing his regular Dalton uniform, but with a plain blue blazer instead of the school one. Kurt was wearing a black suit, with a satin purple tie, and a little black button tie-tack. There wasn't anything over-the-top about his outfit, but it was still a little showy. Kurt's pants were weird to look at, Finn decided. His right pant leg went all the way down to his polished shoe, and was hemmed and ironed perfectly. The left pant leg, however, went to Kurt's knee, and was folded and hemmed there. Carole had taken it upon herself to buy Kurt a few new pairs of pants to alter, since he had put up such a fight over his normal ones.

Finn looked down at his tie, and sighed. "Then who's supposed to help me with this?" he asked.

"Go ask Dad." Kurt suggested. "He can help you."

Finn nodded. "'Kay. But, uh, guys?" they both looked up at him. "You might want to like, I don't know, angle yourselves a little better? 'Cause when I walked in, it _so_ didn't look like you were helping him with his cast, if you know what I mean." Apparently they did, because they both blushed, then looked away from each other.

"Thank you, Finn. Now go." Kurt pointed at the open door, which Finn turned to walk through. He jogged down the stairs to find his stepfather, who was sitting at the table, eating his lunch. Finn almost laughed at the sight of him; wearing a brown suit with a white shirt, with a large towel draped over his chest, and one of his hats perched on his head.

"Hey, Burt." Finn greeted him, smiling.

Burt didn't answer, just kept chewing his BLT and nodded at Finn.

"Nice towel. Did Mom get to you?" he asked.

Burt swallowed, then answered. "Yeah. Told me I needed to cover up so I didn't make a mess. I think she went a little overboard, but I didn't dare tell her that." He chuckled.

"She made me wear a parka over my suit when I was 10 and we went to my aunt's wedding."

"Wouldn't doubt it." Burt pulled the towel up to his mouth to wipe away the crumbs, then looked back up at Finn. "You need something, kiddo?"

Finn nodded. "I asked Kurt to help me with my tie, but he and Blaine are busy trying to get the stuff off his cast. Can you help me with this?" he picked up one of the ends of the tie and let it drop.

"Yeah, no problem. Give me a sec to put the plate in the dishwasher so your mom and Kurt don't kill me, then I'll help ya out." Burt stood up and took the plate into the kitchen, pulling the towel off as he went, and dropping it over the back of a chair. He heard the clatter of the plate in the sink, and Burt came walking back into the dining room.

"Thanks for doing this, Burt." Finn said as Burt stood in front of him and took the tie in his hands.

"You're welcome." He focused on moving the tie, making sure it went the way it was supposed to. "Hey, I don't think I really said it before, but thank you for what you did."

"Huh?" Finn asked.

"With that Karofsky kid. I know that violence isn't the answer, and you probably shouldn'ta done that, but for what it's worth, you really proved yourself that night."

Finn was quiet for a second, letting Burt undo the knot he just made and start over. "I screwed up a lot with Kurt, y'know. Ever since freshman year. I did some pretty crappy things to him, and it was wrong. Really wrong." He breathed in deep, trying to find the right words. "Even last year. _Especially_ last year. Even when I wasn't the one doing the crap to him, I was letting it happen."

Burt looked up at him once he was finished with the tie, waiting to hear what else he had to say.

"I know I shouldn't have gone after Karofsky like that. I could have gotten in a lot of trouble, made things even worse. But I was just so _angry_ that he could do that to Kurt, that he could do that to him and freaking get away with it. I was mad at Kurt, too, and I felt like crap for that. I was mad that he didn't tell me, that he didn't think he _could_ tell me." He hadn't expected to say all this to Burt, but it was being said anyway. "But I was more mad at me, because I should have been there for him. I should have been the kind of person he could come talk to, that he could, I don't know, confide in." He shrugged.

"Finn, listen to me." Burt put his hands on Finn's shoulders, gripping them. "I know you messed up with my kid. I know that. I saw how you were with him, and I heard what you said that day in the basement, remember?" Finn dropped his head, feeling shame wash over him. "Hey, hey, look at me." He looked back up, a little afraid of what Burt would say. "But that's in the past. You've grown up a lot, Finn, and you're not just my stepson anymore, you're my _son_. You tried to protect Kurt, you went after the asshole that did this to him, and you even put yourself in harm's way for him. As far as I'm concerned, you've proved yourself. You'd do anything for your brother now; I know that, and Kurt knows that." Burt let go of Finn's shoulders, and Finn expected him to walk away, to say something about going to finish getting ready. He was swept up in a tight hug, however, Burt holding him close. "I love ya, kid." He heard Burt's muffled voice from his shoulder, and wrapped his arms around his back.

Carole had watched the latter half of the conversation from the hallway, not wanting to interrupt. She let a few tears escape and roll down her cheeks before wiping them off and heading downstairs to the master bedroom. It made her so happy, to see the family they'd already become; it wasn't easy, and she knew they'd have more problems in the years to come, but she also knew that they'd stick together, like families should.

* * *

"Your parents meeting us there, Blaine?" Burt asked as he drove. Burt and Carole were in the front seat of Kurt's Navigator (bloodstains cleaned up and everything), with Finn, Blaine and Kurt in the back.

"My mom is. Dad's at the hospital in Columbus with Mia, since she starts chemo today." Blaine kept his voice even, but Kurt gripped his hand, knowing he was worried. The email from Mia that morning had kind of put him on edge, and since they hadn't gone to classes that day, he spent the whole morning thinking about what she was going through.

"That's rough, kid, I'm sorry." Burt really did feel bad for Blaine and his family. When his wife was sick, they didn't even bother with chemo; they said she was too far gone, that it would just make it worse. Stomach cancer was terrible enough, they didn't want her to suffer more.

"Thanks." Blaine was quiet again. He held tight to Kurt's hand, more to keep Kurt calm than himself.

"So how's this supposed to go?" Kurt asked, his voice just a little shaky.

"Well, I think we're just meeting informally today, it's not the actual trial. We figure out today if we go to trial or not, actually." Carole explained. "From what I understand, we'll all just meet in a room, go over the facts with the lawyers and a mediator, and go from there."

Kurt breathed a sigh of relief; it didn't sound too difficult, or too scary. "That doesn't sound too bad." He remarked.

"Will there be snacks?" everyone looked at Finn, even Burt, who glanced at the rearview mirror to see him. "What? What did I say?"

* * *

"Mr. Williams, these are the photos that the police took at the hospital the night of the attack." The lawyer representing Kurt and Blaine passed an open folder across the table. Dave was sitting next to his uncle, so he saw the contents as he spread them out along the table. He couldn't really believe that he had done all that to Kurt, and it turned his stomach to think that he was capable of that. One photo showed Kurt's ribs, almost completely purple and blue, nothing but a big bruise. Another showed his face, the normally soft and clear porcelain skin marred by more bruised and scrapes from the ground.

The worst picture, though, was of his leg. Dave could see where it was bent wrong, where the bone didn't look right. He glanced across the table at Kurt, who was holding hands with the other boy, but still looked angry. His face had healed, and there were only a few traces of the scrapes left, but they were fading fast. He noticed that Kurt was sitting up straight, but his other arm was held a little away from his body. That must have been where the badly bruised ribs were, he thought.

"And here are the few pictures of Mr. Anderson's injury." The lawyer sitting next to Kurt passed another folder over the table, her carefully manicured hand holding it like it was on fire. This picture was almost worse for Dave to see, since he hadn't actually meant to go after the other boy. It showed a deep gash in his arm, blood everywhere. It was taken at an angle that he could see the blood all over his sweats, mixed in with dirt. He felt his stomach turn, and could feel the bile rising in his throat.

"I, I gotta go to the bathroom." He whispered in his uncle's ear. Nathan nodded at the guard (the same damn guard), who took him by the arm and led him to the main door. He could feel the eyes of everyone in the room on him; his parents and uncle, Kurt, Hudson, that Blaine kid, and all their parents. He started walking faster, not sure if he could make it to the bathroom in time, but luckily, he did. The guard stood outside the room, mumbling something about a 'weak stomach', so Dave ran in alone.

He pushed open the first stall he got to, then dropped to his knees and threw up. He heaved a few times, getting rid of the crappy breakfast he had eaten that morning, and the disgusting coffee he drank before the hearing. Once he was done, he flushed the toilet and used some toilet paper to wipe off his mouth. He was in a sitting position now, his knees drawn up to his chest, trying to calm himself down.

"What the _fuck_ is wrong with me?" he mumbled to himself. He used to be able to handle crap like this, pictures like that. He used to be a bad ass. Now, he was nothing but a scared little boy, just like Hummel had said. He looked down at his shaking hands, willing them to _stop_ and just stay still. They wouldn't. His breathing was uneven, and it wasn't just his hands that were shaking; it was his whole body. He couldn't calm down, couldn't breathe right, and it was really pissing him off. He looked around the stall for something to focus on, like for those breathing exercises Coach Beiste taught them at football practice earlier in the year, and his breath caught in his throat when he saw it: a little piece of metal that was falling off of the toilet paper dispenser. It was small, probably about half the size of his truck key, but he could see the sharp corner glinting in the artificial light. It looked like it was about to fall off anyway, so he reached up, and gently pulled it off. It broke free with a quiet _snap_, and he could feel the cold, sharp edge of it digging into his palm.

He felt a sick wave of something (was that excitement?) run through his veins, and a flash of comfort in there, too. When he was in junior high school, when he got his first crush on a boy (the same boy he went into hockey for), he had felt so ashamed of himself. He didn't know how else to deal, so when he fell at practice one day and accidentally sliced his hand open and felt that cool rush of relief run through him, he was surprised. He had cut a few more times over the years, but never on his arms, always on his hips (no one ever saw them), and he had never wanted to do more than just cut for relief. This time, however, he knew that he wouldn't get much relief from a slice to his right hip. He wouldn't get relief even if he sliced it all the way open, and to be perfectly honest, he wasn't sure that he wanted relief. He just wanted it to be _over_. He heard banging on the door, no doubt the guard wanted him to hurry up. He scrambled up to his knees, knowing he didn't have long, because weak-stomach or not, the guard would barrel in there and drag him back to that cramped room filled with people who probably hated him.

Dave leaned over the toilet again and made a retching sound, hoping that would keep him at bay a little longer, then flushed the toilet. He shimmied out of his jacket and rolled up his sleeves as quick as he could, trying to remember a hint he had gotten from a pro-cutting site years ago. _Sideways for show, longways for go_, he thought. Yeah, to really get the artery, you have to go in a straight line, as deep as you could. You had to get through the tendon, and the easiest way was to go straight down. He lifted the metal piece up to his left arm, holding it tightly in his sweaty right hand, and before he could think twice about what he was going to do, he thrust it in and ripped it back. He couldn't help the loud groan that came from his mouth, but as he watched the thick red blood pour out of his wrist, he didn't really give a damn.

* * *

Kurt had been trying to pay attention to what the two lawyers were saying, but he couldn't, not with Blaine so close to him. He could feel his warm breath on his ear, on his neck, and even though it was so far from appropriate, he really just wanted to take Blaine into an empty room and just _touch_ him.

Two short knocks at the door interrupted him from his reverie, however, and he (and everyone else in the room) looked to see who was coming in. The guard who had taken Karofsky was standing in the doorway, his face white, and blood smeared on his shirt and arms. "Mr. Karofsky, Mr. Williams, you need to come with me." His voice was strong, but Kurt could see the fear in his face.

"Al, what the hell is going on?" Karofsky's lawyer (who Kurt found out was actually his uncle) stood up, alarmed by the amount of blood on the other man.

"Dave hurt himself. I don't know exactly how, but the ambulance is on its way and he's got to get to the hospital, _now_."

"What happened?" Karofsky's mother stood up with her husband, their hands clasped together tightly as they made their way to the door.

The others didn't get to hear the rest, because the guard was pulling them out of the room. "Mrs. Hitchins, we'll contact you for another hearing." Mr. Williams gathered all of his papers and folders and stuffed them into his briefcase, not caring about the state of them. He was out the door before anyone could say anything.

"Mom?" Finn asked, a scared look on his face.

"I don't know what's going on, honey, but we better go." Carole glanced at their lawyer, who nodded.

"I'll call you as soon as I know what's going on, and we'll have another hearing." She stood as well, and started putting her things away.

"Thank you so much, Kathy, we really appreciate your help." Allison shook her friend's hand. "Blaine, sweetheart, I'm going to go up to Columbus to meet your sister and father. Would you like to come?"

Blaine looked to Kurt, then back at his mother. "Mom, I think Kurt and I will hang out for a little bit. I'll be home tonight, though." He smiled at her. "Tell Mia to call me, or if she can bring in her computer, we'll be signed in on Skype."

"Of course, honey." She leaned in and gave him a big hug and a kiss on the forehead, then stepped away. "See you later, Carole, Burt, Finn." She shook each of their hands in turn, then left.

"Home?" Finn asked his mom.

"Yeah, sweetheart. Home." Carole sighed, then took Burt's hand and started walking out of the room. Kurt grabbed his crutches and walked next to Blaine and behind Finn, trying not to think out loud. What had happened to Karofsky? What did the guard say about hurting himself? He wondered if he had fallen and cut himself on something, or if he had done anything on purpose. They were almost to the main doors to the courthouse when they saw a group of people in uniform gathered around a door, yellow caution tape blocking it off from everyone else. Kurt stopped in his tracks when he saw a puddle of something dark on the floor, just beyond the tape; blood. Blaine and Finn were staring too, and they almost didn't hear what one of the police officers was saying.

"Kid sliced his arm open with something, don't know what, though." The officer was an older man, a bit chubby, and his hair was mostly gone. They heard another voice say something, but Kurt couldn't understand. "Blood all over the place, he must have got the artery."

Burt looked back at his son, whose face was stark white. "Kurt, come on, buddy, we gotta go home." Kurt couldn't make his legs move. Karofsky had tried to kill himself.

* * *

_Riffraff, street rat  
I don't buy that  
If only they'd look closer  
Would they see a poor boy? No, siree  
They'd find out  
There's so much more to me…_

Aladdin's clear voice rang out from the tv in Kurt's bedroom, though it wasn't distracting Kurt from what had happened earlier in the day.

"Blaine?" he asked quietly.

"Hmm?" Blaine was sitting next to Kurt, both of them leaning against the headboard, holding each other's hand. They had changed from their suits into more comfortable clothes, Blaine wearing his OSU sweats (they were _not_ Mia's, she just stole them a lot) and a plain black t-shirt, and Kurt was wearing his New York t-shirt and a pair of white sweatpants, with part of the left leg cut off.

"Do you think we should call the hospital or something? I don't know, see if Karofsky's ali-" he stopped himself, then changed the question. "I mean, if he's okay?"

Blaine was quiet for a minute. "I don't know, babe. I think Kathy would call us as soon as she heard anything either way." He didn't want to admit it, but he was worried about Karofsky.

Kurt sighed. "I just feel bad. I don't know why, it's not like it was my fault, but Blaine, he tried to kill himself. Did you see all that blood?" he shuddered. "I know he hurt both of us, and he's caused a lot of damage, but he doesn't deserve to die." Blaine pushed _pause_ on the remote, then turned a little more to his left to fully see his boyfriend. "Do you… do you think he's cut before?" Kurt looked worried, and it broke Blaine's heart to see him that way; hurting and worrying over the boy who hurt both of them.

"Maybe." Blaine glanced down. "It's a coping mechanism, so there's a good chance he's done it before."

"Coping mechanism?" Kurt asked. "You say it like you know what you're talking about." He didn't miss the flinch in the hand that he held. "You do, don't you?"

Blaine didn't look up at him, but he took a deep breath. "Kurt, I'm not going to tell you I tried to kill myself, because I didn't. I never wanted to die." He felt a finger under his chin, lifting his face up.

"You cut yourself, didn't you?" it was phrased like a question, but Blaine knew it was a statement.

"I didn't exactly cut, I more… I scratched." He looked over Kurt's face, waiting for the disgust to show itself. When it didn't, he continued. "I started when I was about 12, almost 13. Around the time I realized just how different I really was from the other kids. I heard one of my friends call another boy in our school a fag, and I knew what it meant. I got so mad, and so scared, but rather than say something or walk away, I just balled my hands up into fists as hard as I could and kept my mouth shut." He was surprised by the sweet kiss Kurt placed on his cheek, as if it was a reminder that no matter what, Kurt was there for him.

"One of my nails kind of scratched my palm, and it felt, good, I guess." He shrugged again. "Later that night, I was in the shower, and I scratched along my leg, just to see. It hurt, but at the same time, it felt so _good_." He made himself keep looking at Kurt, using his beautiful face to ground him. "It felt like a release, honestly. I couldn't tell anyone what I was going through, and I was afraid that my parents would find a diary if I kept one, so instead of talking about everything, I would scratch."

Kurt looked at him, and Blaine could see a question in his eyes. "How long?"

"Until I came out to my parents."

"How old were you?"

"I was 14."

"So a little over a year, then?"

"Yeah." They were quiet for a second. "I only drew blood a few times, and while it felt good, it scared me, a lot. I heard about people who cut, who self-harmed, and I didn't want to be one of them. I knew, on some level, that I was, but I convinced myself that since I was just scratching, that the marks were going away, that I _wasn't_ one of them."

"Tell me how you stopped."

"Mia caught me. I was in my room one day, after getting made fun of by some kid at soccer practice. I had a safety pin in my hand, and I was sitting on my bed in just my soccer shorts. She walked in without knocking, saw the pin against my leg, and the other marks there." He looked down at his right leg, and moved his hand from Kurt's to show him where the pin was; right above his knee. He pulled up his pant leg, and showed Kurt a thin, inch-long scar; practically invisible to the naked eye.

"I thought you said you didn't cut?" Kurt brushed his fingers over it, barely feeling the raised skin.

"I didn't. But when I heard her gasp, I tried to hide the safety pin. I moved wrong, I guess, and it caught the skin there. That was the breaking point." He rested his hand on top of Kurt's, which was still on his knee.

"Did she tell your parents?"

"No. She took the pin from me and got me some iodine and a Band-Aid, then fixed me up. She didn't say anything while she did it, and neither did I. After she was done, though, she asked me where the rest of the pins were, and where anything else I used was. I didn't talk, just pointed out my hiding places. It didn't take long, but she found them all."

Kurt couldn't deny it, he was surprised that Blaine had ever done anything like this before. "You stopped after that, though, right?" he felt a little panicked.

"Yeah, I did. I was lucky, it never got that bad, and I only did it once in a while. Maybe once a month, maybe less. I'm not gonna lie, I missed it, but the thought of Mia catching me again petrified me. She looked so scared, and so hurt. I couldn't do that to her."

"Why did you tell me about this?" Kurt asked. "I mean, you didn't have to."

"I guess I just wanted you to know that I can see where he's coming from. That it comes from a place of hurting, of pain, and it doesn't make you a bad person. Don't get me wrong, I'm still pissed off over what he did to you, and I want him to suffer, but I don't want him to feel like he has to die to atone for what he did."

"I don't want him to die, either. I'm so conflicted on how I feel about this, though, he hurt us, Blaine. He threatened to kill me, and then he beat the hell out of me, and he hurt _you_." Kurt moved his other hand to Blaine's left arm, feeling the row of new stitches there. Blaine had ripped a few out in his sleep, so he kept having to get new ones.

"I know, Kurt, I know. But I really don't care too much about what he did to me, I care more about what he did to you, and what he did to himself."

"You're such a saint, Mr. Anderson." Kurt winked. "So selfless."

"I'm not so much of a saint when it comes to you, Hummel." Blaine moved in closer, kissing Kurt. He hadn't intended on telling Kurt about what he started doing 4 years ago, not when it wasn't relevant to his life today, but he wanted Kurt to know that he sort of understood what was going through Karofsky's mind.

* * *

"How is he?" Paul Karofsky was shaking with fear, but he was trying to hide it from his wife, who was sobbing next to him, clutching his arm like it was a lifeline.

"Mr. Karofsky, we really don't know right now. He's lost a lot of blood, it's critical at the moment." the doctor who spoke with them was young, younger than Mr. Karofsky thought a doctor should be.

"You don't know? How can you not know? This is my _son_, dammit!" he yelled, letting a few angry tears roll down his face. He heard his wife cry louder, but he couldn't bring himself to look at her.

"We're doing the best we can, sir. I've got to get back in there, we'll update you as soon as we know more." The doctor, Dr. Pike, or something, turned and walked back through the double doors, not letting them say anything else to him.

Paul stared at the doors that were still swinging, and felt like hitting something and screaming at the same time. All he wanted was his son.

* * *

"Oh, fuck. Like that." Jeff groaned, letting his head roll back and hit the pillow behind him.

"Like this?" Simon smirked, and just twisted his hand, gripping a little tighter.

Jeff couldn't speak; he just whimpered and bucked into Simon's hand, still twisting in a way that had him questioning his sanity.

"You're close, I can tell." Simon leaned forward, his lips only millimeters away from Jeff's ear. "Are you really going to come that easily?" His tongue darted out, giving a quick swipe along the shell of his ear, and he was rewarded by another breathy moan from the boy underneath him. They had just been doing homework in Jeff's room, and as soon as Eric left for a dinner date with his current girlfriend, Simon had completely stripped Jeff of his clothes, and taken him in his hand.

"Si, Si, please…" he let out a whine toward the end. Simon knew that Jeff was close, so rather than speeding up, or gripping tighter, or (oh god please let it happen) taking him in his mouth, he loosened his grip, and slowed his pace.

"Please what?" Simon was biting and sucking on the hollow of his neck, purposely trying to leave his mark. He loved looking at Jeff and knowing that he was _his_, that he belonged to _him_.

"Let me, oh god, just let me…"

"Let you what?" he bit him a little harder, letting his thumb flick over the head of Jeff's dick at the same time.

"Ungh, Simon, please!" Jeff arched off the bed, desperate for release. Simon knew that if he made Jeff wait much longer, if he tortured him any more than he already had, he'd get it just as bad in return. He wasted no time, then, in giving Jeff one more love-bite on the neck, then moving down.

"Is this what you want?" Simon asked, his voice taking on a gravelly sound to it as he spoke.

Jeff looked down at him, a question in his eyes, but as soon as he felt the warmth that was Simon's mouth around him, he dropped back to the bed. Simon knew exactly what to do to make Jeff come, and he did exactly that; his tongue flicking here and there, sucking hard and using his hands to stroke what he couldn't take in his mouth. It didn't take long, just a few seconds of hot sucking and licking, touching and stroking, and he erupted. Simon was about to take it, but he heard Jeff shout something that made him stop.

"Oh god, _Kurt_!"

* * *

**Author's Note: Self-harm is serious. It affects thousands of people, for a multitude of reasons. Blaine's story is one that's really close to me, because I had a friend who did the exact same thing. I am Mia in that situation.**

**Please, _please_, if you or someone you know is self-harming in any way, please go to recoveryourlife(.)com/ and get help. And seriously, if anyone here who reads this needs someone to talk to, no joke, I'm here.**


	16. The Confession

**A/N: I'm really sorry about the wait, guys. I'm not quite pleased with this chapter, but, eh. **

* * *

**26 MISSED CALLS**

_Simon, please, just talk to me. – j_

_Simon, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to. I love you – j_

_Please, babe, call me back, come over, answer your phone, anything. – j_

_I'm sorry. – j_

_I really am sorry. – j_

_I love you. – j_

_Simon, just talk to me. We can figure this out. – j_

_Please stop ignoring me, that won't make this better. – j_

_I'm outside your dorm room, why won't you come to the door? – j_

_Why didn't you at least tell me that you were going home for the weekend? We need to talk about this. – j_

_Dammit, Simon, you can't ignore me forever. I love you and we __**will**__ talk about this on Monday. – j_

Simon stared down at the phone in his hand. The last 11 messages he had read were enough; he didn't want to see any more. There were more, at least 20, but he didn't want to read them. He had turned his phone off for a reason, and turning it on to find so many messages and missed calls had proved to him that he had done the right thing. He was about to erase all the messages when the phone gave a quick _beep_, and he saw another message on the screen.

_Kurt doesn't mean anything to me. Not like you. Call me? – j_

Before he could stop himself, he threw the phone across the room. It hit the wall with such force that it shattered, leaving little glass and plastic shards all over the place. He wanted to call Jeff back, he really did. He wanted to rush to his house and sweep him up in his arms and tell him it would all be okay, that he still loved him. He wanted to, but he couldn't. He sank back into his bed, trying hard not to remember what had happened the night before.

* * *

"Hello?" Burt answered the phone that wouldn't stop ringing. It was 8 in the morning on a damn Saturday, who calls then?

"May I please speak to Mr. Hummel?" a feminine voice asked.

"This is him." He carefully sat up in his bed so he wouldn't wake up Carole, then got up and moved out of his bedroom while the woman spoke.

"Mr. Hummel, this is Katherine Mansfield, the lawyer for you and the Andersons." Her voice was kind, and he recognized it.

"Oh, hi, Mrs. Mansfield. Sorry, Saturday mornings and I don't usually get along real well. What can I do for ya?" he shut the bedroom door behind him and made his way up the stairs to the kitchen, where he knew a hot pot of coffee would be waiting. Sure enough, Kurt was sitting down at the dining room table, his **Wicked** coffee mug steaming and the latest Vogue in his hands.

"I just received word from the hospital that Dave Karofsky is in stable but critical condition in the intensive care unit."

"So he's alive?" Burt felt better knowing that the kid was alive. He may have been pissed as hell about what he did to his son, but he didn't want him to die. Kurt looked up at his father, a question on his face. Burt held up a finger, telling him 'one minute', and poured himself a cup of coffee.

"Yes, sir, he is. He lost a substantial amount of blood, though, so it was touch and go for a while."

"How much blood?" he sat down across from his son, who snatched the sugar bowl away from him before he could get to it. He glared at Kurt, who just smiled sweetly and took a sip of his own coffee.

"The doctor said he lost thirty-four percent of his blood."

"Thirty-four? How is he still alive?" Burt was shocked; he didn't know someone could lose that much blood and live.

"Transfusions, mostly. He's had multiple blood transfusions since he arrived at the hospital. The problem is that since he's lost so much, and since he's been unconscious since it happened, we don't know when he'll wake up. Mr. Williams and I both spoke to the judge an hour ago, and he's agreed to a continuance, and we'll start up again once Mr. Karofsky's awake and able to attend a hearing."

"So you're saying there's nothing we can do until he's awake?" Burt knew it was probably irrational of him to get upset over this, but he was.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Hummel, but there's only so much that we can do without him. He needs to provide his own side of the story, and he can't do that if he's not awake. I really am sorry." He could hear the apology in her voice, so he didn't push it.

"You can call me when he wakes up, right? So we'll know what's going on?" Kurt looked up at him again, still confused.

"Of course, sir. I'll be in contact with you later this week as well, so we can go over more details of what happened with your son while he was at McKinley, alright?"

"Yeah, sure. Thanks for calling, Mrs. Mansfield." Burt didn't want Kurt to have to tell more about the crap he went through, but it was necessary. The lawyer said goodbye, and Burt pressed _end_ on the phone before setting it down on the table in front of him.

"He's alive?" Kurt asked, keeping his voice even, and his eyes on the magazine.

"Yep." Burt took another drink of his coffee, wishing it was just a bit sweeter. He reached his arm out slowly, not wanting to draw attention to himself, but groaned in frustration when Kurt grabbed the sugar bowl and set it on his lap. "C'mon, Kurt! One spoonful of sugar isn't gonna kill me!"

"Dad, no. The sugar-free sweetener is in the spice cabinet; that's all you get." His voice was firm, but he was smiling. "Now tell me what's going on. Who was that on the phone?"

Burt sighed. "That was the lawyer, calling to say that Karofsky's alive, but in critical condition. Said he lost thirty-four percent of his blood."

Kurt raised his eyebrows, surprised. "Wow, Dad. That's, wow." He shook his head. "You said something about 'when he wakes up'?" Burt nodded. "So he's what, in a coma?"

"Not sure. Maybe. All she said was that he was unconscious, and there's nothing we can really do until he's awake. She's gonna call this week though. Said she needs to talk to you about the things that happened at McKinley." He watched Kurt, waiting for the signs he knew would be there, and sure enough, they were.

Kurt's jaw was set. His back was just a little bit straighter, and his chest was puffed out. He was putting out his 'I can do this' look, the one he used when he didn't want to do something, but knew he had to. "When?" he asked.

"Not sure, pal. She said she'd call."

"Alright, whatever they need." He gave a small smile, and finished off his coffee. Burt could see a little bit of fear in his son's eyes, but he knew he wouldn't let it get to him. Kurt was brave, and he wouldn't let his fears get in his way this time.

* * *

Blaine had spent the entire Saturday in his pajamas, not bothering to change. He knew he should at least take a shower, but that would have required getting off the phone with his boyfriend. Kurt had called him that morning to tell him about Karofsky, even though his mother had told him when he woke up for his 6 am run. After the news had been shared, neither one wanted to hang up, so they just kept talking. Blaine talked about Jamie's new dirtbike he was supposed to get for his birthday that week, and Kurt talked about walking in on Finn and Rachel during a heavy make-out session. He admitted that it was probably karma, seeing as how Finn kept walking in on Kurt and Blaine. They had talked for a total of 9 hours, practically non-stop. They would put the phone down to go to the restroom, but other than that, the phones stayed glued to their ears.

It was already 6 pm, and since Blaine had neglected to eat dinner earlier in the day, he trudged downstairs to find something to eat. He had been planning on Easy Mac or something similar, maybe with a Dr Pepper, or Pepsi if they had it. He reached the bottom of the stairs, and was about to turn the corner into the living room, when he heard his brother-in-law's quiet voice.

"Mia, it's okay."

"I feel like shit."

"You look like it, too." A chuckle.

"You love it." He heard the smacking of lips.

"The next one is on the 13th, right?"

"Yup, Friday the 13th. Oh, lucky me." She sighed. It was silent for a few seconds, and Blaine was about to finally turn the corner, but he heard his sister speak again. "I'm scared, Paul."

"I know, baby. I know." He heard Paul sigh this time. "You have every right to be. This is a scary thing to go through."

"Why couldn't I have just been pregnant?" That's what Blaine wanted to know, too. Why couldn't his sister have been pregnant? She was young, she was healthy. Why did she have to get cancer? It wasn't fair.

"After chemo, after you're better, we'll try again." He heard Paul give his sister a quick kiss.

"You really think I'll get better?" a pause. He assumes that Paul nodded, because she starts talking again. "Paulie, I feel like shit right now. Complete and total shit. That's only after one treatment. I already feel like I could just die."

"Hey, stop that." Another pause. Blaine felt uncomfortable, and wanted to leave, but he wanted to hear more.

"Do you regret marrying me?" her voice was so quiet, Blaine barely heard it.

"What? No!" Paul's voice was louder. "God, no, Mia. I love you. I love you no matter what, remember? Vows and everything."

"But this is cancer, Paul. This is different."

"I don't care. Well, obviously I care, but not the way you think I do. I loved you when you got chicken pox two years ago and gave it to me. I loved you when you told my mom to go fuck herself because she didn't like the purple in your hair, and I will love you whether or not you have this bullshit cancer." Blaine could hear the passion in his voice, the anger at what his wife was going through. "So stop thinking the things I know you're thinking, okay? I'm not going to leave you if you can't get pregnant, because there's adoption. I'm not going to leave you if you lose your hair, because I think you'd look cute bald. I'm not going to leave you if you throw up all over me because, hey, been there and done that. You have _got_ to stop this, okay? I love you, deal with it." Blaine heard a sob, and knew it came from Mia. He turned around then, not wanting to hear more. The things Paul and Mia were talking about; the hair loss, the sickness, the chance that she wouldn't be able to have kids; those were all things that he worried about for her. The biggest one was one he didn't even want to consider; her death. The idea of his big sister dying was something that shook him to his very core.

* * *

"_You're a... you're a complex Freudian hallucination having something to do with my mother and I don't know why you have wings, but you have very lovely legs and you're a very nice tiny person and what am I saying, I don't know who my mother was; I'm an orphan and I've never taken drugs because I missed the sixties, I was an accountant_."

The boys laughed as Tinkerbell stomped around onscreen, each of them enjoying the movie. They had all gone back to school relatively early that Sunday, and had decided to spend some time together. It was David's idea to watch **Hook**, after finding out that Wes had never seen it. Kurt had just about choked on his water, and Blaine dropped his notebook on the floor when he admitted it, and David started searching through his massive dvd collection until he found it.

The first thing Wes had noticed was Maggie Smith as Granny Wendy, and exclaiming that she looked the same age in that movie as she did in the **Harry Potter** ones. "You think she might actually be a witch?" David had just rolled his eyes and told him to shut up and watch the movie.

"My favorite part's coming up." Blaine smiled. "I loved the mermaids. I always wanted to be a merman. I even dressed up as one for Halloween one year." He turned to Kurt, expecting a remark about wanting to see photographic evidence, but Kurt was staring at a spot on the wall above the tv. "Kurt?"

"Hmm?" He turned his head to face Blaine, and then he noticed the tears.

"Uh, guys, I'm gonna pause the movie, can you two go order some pizza or something? I'm kind of hungry." Blaine knew that at the mention of food, Wes and David would do just about anything, and sure enough, they popped up.

"Is pepperoni okay, Blaine?" Wes asked, fishing out his cell phone from his pocket.

"Actually, could you get the chicken Caesar pizza? The one with all the veggies? I'll share with Kurt." Blaine grabbed his wallet from his nightstand and tossed it to David. "I'll pay , just go order and wait for it." He was grateful that the other two didn't ask any questions, or refuse to go; instead they turned around and walked out without saying another word, leaving Kurt and Blaine to themselves. Blaine pressed _pause_ on the remote, freezing the screen on an image of Julia Roberts with a hand on her hip and a weird look on her face.

It was quiet for a moment, until Kurt finally started to speak. "I'm okay, you know. You didn't have to send them out of here." Kurt sounded defensive.

"You worried me. You have this look on your face, Kurt, and I saw the tears in your eyes. You wanna tell me what's up?" Quiet. "You don't have to if you don't want to, but I can't help you if you don't tell me what's wrong."

Kurt didn't move for a minute; he just sat next to Blaine on his bed, and let him hold his hand. He looked down when he started to speak, because he knew that if he looked at Blaine, the floodgates would open and he'd be a big mess. "It's Mother's Day."

Blaine was silent for half a second before he realized what was going on. "Oh, Kurt, I'm so sorry." He squeezed Kurt's hand.

"It's okay, really. I just have a hard time with it every once in a while. This year was harder than the others, that's all." He sniffled.

"Why was it harder?" Blaine asked, making sure to keep his voice soft.

Kurt finally looked over at him, a tear escaping and rolling down one pale cheek. "Every year my dad and I go to my mom's grave and leave flowers. We do it on her birthday and Mother's Day, and it's just us two that go. This year, Carole and Finn came." Blaine looked questioningly at him. "We invited them, we wanted them to come see where she was."

"That was nice of you guys." Blaine gave Kurt a quick kiss on his forehead, and then let him continue.

"They're family now. We thought they deserved to see where Mom was." He took a shaky breath. "I didn't think about it until we were almost out there, but she's buried in Bellefontaine."

"Bellefontaine? Kurt, that's where-"

"Where the attack was? Yeah. That's where I was going that night. I was only 5 or so miles away from the cemetery when I stopped at that gas station, Blaine. Just 5 miles away. We were all in Carole's car, driving down the road, when Finn asked if we could stop to get some energy drinks. Dad was driving and saw the gas station, and started to pull in, but I wasn't paying attention; I was more focused on my mom's flower arrangement. It wasn't until he was parked in the same spot I was that I realized where we were." He held tight to Blaine's hand, scared to let go. "I looked up when Finn asked if I wanted anything, and then I just… Freaked. I don't really know what happened, but my dad said I went really white, and I dropped my mom's flowers. Finn had to catch them. They said I was shaking, that I wasn't breathing right, and then Finn saw the blood on the gas pump."

Blaine felt his stomach drop. The blood on the gas pump was his.

"He realized what had happened there when he saw the blood, and he made my dad leave. He told my dad that that was where it happened and he told him to get me out of there. I was so scared, Blaine. It's been three damn weeks, and I felt like it was happening all over again. Just from being there." Kurt leaned into Blaine and let his head drop on his shoulder. Blaine let go of Kurt's hand and quickly wrapped his arm around the boy, pulling him in closer.

"You're here now, though, Kurt. You're here and you're safe." Blaine closed his eyes and relished the feel of Kurt's warmth. He could feel Kurt shaking slightly, and could feel the tears start again, soaking his t-shirt. They hadn't been lying there too long before Blaine finally felt him stop shaking, and his breaths evened out. When the door opened and Wes and David walked in, Blaine lifted a finger to his lips to signal them to be quiet; Kurt had fallen asleep. The boys nodded and shut the door behind them, and Blaine pressed _play_. They kept watching the movie, but Kurt didn't wake up; he slept on his boyfriend for the rest of the movie, and the next one, too. Blaine didn't have the heart to wake him up, so he just let him stay there. He wouldn't tell anyone, but he liked the feeling of having Kurt there. It felt like home.

* * *

"I cannot _wait_ to get out of this damn thing." Kurt motioned to his cast. "Just three more weeks, and then I can get my walking cast." He grinned at Blaine, who had a matching smile.

"So no more crutches?"

"Ugh, I'll still need them, but hopefully not for too much longer." He glanced down at the crutches under his arms, wishing he didn't have to use them. They walked down the main hall of Dalton, on their way to the first classes of the week. They hadn't spoken more about what happened on Sunday, and truth be told, neither actually wanted to. Kurt didn't want to bring it up and remember everything, and Blaine didn't want to make Kurt feel any more pain. The topic of conversation that morning was mainly based on the cast that Kurt so desperately wanted to get rid of, and their summer plans.

"But you shouldn't need them for the whole summer, would you?" Blaine asked as they turned a corner.

"Um, I don't think so. If what I understand is correct, then I should actually have the walking cast off by the end of June, and then I'll just have to wear an air splint if I'm walking for longer distances, or on my feet for a while. I could be wrong, though, I didn't really do much research. I meant to, but then I started watching the new "Judas" video from Lady GaGa. I think the boots she wore are Rodarte, I really liked-"

"Hummel!" Both Kurt and Blaine looked up to see Simon coming toward them; his hair all over the place, his tie missing, and his shirt buttoned wrong.

"Simon?" Kurt had no idea as to what was going on. Blaine looked confused, as did most of the other boys in the hall. Simon usually looked so put-together; so neat and clean.

"What the _fuck_ happened with you and Jeff, huh?" he kept walking closer and closer to Kurt and Blaine, who just stood in the middle of the hall.

"What? Simon, I don't know what's-" he was cut short when Simon reached out and shoved him, causing him to lose his footing and fall back. Blaine shot out his arm and caught Kurt before he could actually fall, but as soon as he was standing upright again, Blaine dropped the book bag and got right in Simon's face.

"What the _hell_, man? What's your problem?" he wasn't quite yelling, but he was heard all over the hall, and people were starting to stare. Kurt was in shock; he had no clue what was going on, and he was surprised to see the rage seething from both Simon and Blaine. They were standing so close to one another, and if anyone had just glanced at them, it would seem like they were about to kiss. Kurt, however, knew that was so far from the case. He was more concerned that there would be bloodshed than any sort of romantic advance from either of them.

"Why don't you ask your little _whore_ boyfriend, Anderson?" He pointed at Kurt, and tried to step around Blaine, but a hand to his chest stopped him. "Why don't you ask him why the _fuck_ Jeff started calling out _his_ fucking name when he was with _me_? Ask him what the hell made Jeff think of him when he came?"

The hall was silent. Blaine stared hard at Simon, trying to figure out if he heard what he really thought he heard, and Kurt was doing the same.

"You know what? Fuck all of you. _Fuck_ you!" Simon jerked away from Blaine and stalked off in the opposite direction, leaving everyone to start whispering about what they had just seen.

Blaine turned around slowly, his eyebrows furrowed together and a slight frown on his face. He looked at Kurt, who's eyes were wide. "Do you know what he was talking about, Kurt?" his voice was clipped.

"What?" Kurt finally looked at Blaine, still in shock.

"Do you," Blaine started again, moving closer to Kurt, "know what he was talking about?" he stopped when he stood right in front of his boyfriend. He couldn't explain what he was doing, but something Simon said had really ruffled his feathers.

"Blaine, I have no idea what he was going on about." Kurt lifted his right hand from the crutch handle and rested it on Blaine's chest. "Really, baby, I don't. It sounds like he and Jeff are having issues, but that's not our problem."

Blaine sighed, then shook his head. He was being ridiculous, and he knew it. "Sorry, Kurt." He leaned over to pick up the bag he had dropped. "I don't know what I'm asking. I guess I just have issues with those two."

"That's fine, don't worry." Kurt smiled a little. "But let's not focus on them, okay? We have enough crap going on that we don't need to add them into it."

"Agreed." Blaine waited for Kurt, then they started walking to his first period class. "I gotta say, though; it sounds like karma's finally gotten to them."

Kurt nodded. "Sounds like."

* * *

Judith Karofsky was a religious woman, but not outwardly. She didn't attend church on a regular basis, she didn't get her children baptized, and she didn't advertise her beliefs. But sitting there, in her son's hospital room, she couldn't help but think of God, and why he'd let these things happen to him.

"Davie, I don't know if you can hear me, but Momma's here." She sat in an uncomfortable chair pulled up to her son's bedside, and had his large right hand clasped in both of her tiny ones. She looked around the room, taking in everything. There were so many tubes hooked up to him, and so many machines everywhere. His left wrist was bandaged all the way from the middle of his forearm down to his palm, and it was resting on a little pillow.

"Your little sister wants to come see you today. Angie misses you, you know. She doesn't understand what's going on." Her daughter Angela was only 6 years old, and had no clue what was happening. They didn't tell her about her brother's arrest, just that he had to go on a trip. She knew he was in the hospital though, even if they just told her he was sick. She was a child; she didn't know that her brother tried to kill himself. That wasn't anything she should be concerned about.

"Your dad is in the cafeteria, getting something to eat. He's taking more time off this week so he can be here with you. He's probably going to pick up Angie after school gets out and bring her here. She has the first grade spelling bee this afternoon, too. I think she might win. She's been doing a lot of practicing, and she's gotten really good." A series of high-pitched beeps echoed in the room, and she turned her attention to the machine that made it.

"Davie?" she hoped the beeps meant he was waking up. After three minutes had passed, though, she realized he wasn't. "I'd be lying if I said I wasn't surprised about you, sweetheart. About you being..." She couldn't say it. "I'm confused, to be honest. You were always so popular with the girls; always going out with a different one every weekend. But you're young, honey, you're probably just going through a phase. Every teenager has questions about who they like, and this is just one of those things. You're not really g-gay, are you?" she whispered the last bit, afraid that someone would overhear. She knew he couldn't answer her, but she hoped she was right, that he was just going through a phase.

"I love you, though, Davie. Even if you are… you know. We can work on that. I've been doing some research on therapies that are offered, and camps you can go to. When you wake up, we'll fix this. You don't have to be this way, honey, we can make it stop." She felt her eyes water. She didn't want to cry, but she didn't want her son to be gay, either. She meant what she said, though; she would love him no matter what. She would just have to look past his issues. She didn't know if she could accept them, but she could still love him.

His hand twitched in hers, and she jumped up. "Davie? Davie, honey, are you waking up?" His hand moved again, but this time his whole arm did, too. "Nurse! Nurse, I think he's waking up!" a large smile stretched across her face at the idea of her son waking up. She couldn't wait to see his eyes open up, and- _BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP_

The machines went haywire, and her son started convulsing. An IV was ripped from his right arm, and she was sprayed with his blood. "NURSE!" she screamed. Three different nurses ran in; one pulled her away from her son, and the other two started trying to stabilize him. She just stood there, helplessly watching as more nurses and maybe a doctor or two that she didn't recognize rushed in. She was finally dragged out into the hall by the same nurse that had pulled her away from her son, and was met with her panicked husband.

"Judith? What's going on?" he snatched her away from the nurse, who ran back inside Dave's room.

"I don't know, Paul, he just-"

A doctor inside the room shouted something that made their blood run cold. "We're losing him, guys!"

* * *

"We'll see you guys tomorrow, you did good tonight." Wes slammed his (newly fixed) gavel on the sounding block, dismissing the Warblers from the first rehearsal of the week. He was right, of course, they had done well. Blaine's voice was perfect for Frank Sinatra's "It Had To Be You", and the boys harmonized beautifully, making the song one of the best versions Kurt had ever heard. Jeff was at practice for once, and even though he sang and two-stepped with everyone else, he looked off. Kurt half-wanted to say something to him, maybe ask if he was alright, but he knew he shouldn't.

"Ready to go, babe?" Blaine held out his hand to help Kurt to his feet.

"Yeah, let's go 'study'." He wiggled his eyebrows, making Blaine laugh. He pulled his crutches underneath his arms, and followed Blaine back to Windsor. They chatted about mindless things on the way, from those boots (he really wanted to know if Lady GaGa was working with Rodarte for her clothes), to whether or not Blaine should get colored strings for his guitar. Kurt jokingly suggested getting rainbow colored ones, but regretted it as he saw the excitement in Blaine's eyes.

It didn't take long for them to get to Kurt's room, and they were soon studying, much to Kurt's dismay. He knew it was the responsible thing to do, but he really wanted nothing more than to make out with Blaine.

"Kurt, you know we actually have to study. We have finals in a few weeks, come on." Blaine moved Kurt's hands from his neck and dropped them back on his notebook.

"Party pooper." Kurt grumbled, letting a frown grace his features.

"I heard that." Blaine smirked, and nudged Kurt with his shoulder. "At least let us study for one hour. Just one hour, and then we can-"

_Woke up cold one Tuesday_

_I'm looking tired and feeling quite sick_

_I felt like there was something missing_

"Hold on a sec." Blaine pulled his phone out of his blazer pocket and answered it. "Mia?"

Kurt looked up at Blaine, waiting to hear the laugh he usually had when he talked to his sister, but it never came.

"What? Yeah, yeah, I can do that. No problem, I love you too." He ended the call.

"Blaine, what's going on?" Kurt was worried.

"I'm not sure, but Mia wants me to go get on Skype with her real quick. Not sure what's going on, but she needs to talk to me." He leaned over to give Kurt a kiss, then stood up. "I'll be back as soon as I can, okay?"

"Sure, sweetheart. Let me know what's going on, and tell Mia I said 'hey'." Kurt watched as Blaine left his room, his fear evident on his face.

* * *

**Next: Dave Karofsky's life hangs in the balance, but other things are happening to Kurt that he just can't ignore.**


	17. The Touch

**A/N: I have no good excuses for the horrifically long wait for this chapter. I sincerely, **_**sincerely**_** apologize, and I hope you all can forgive me. Quite a few things have happened, including the loss of my teaching job due to a new principal coming in, and lots of other crap. It's been a hard couple of months, but I finally stuck it out and wrote this chapter tonight.**

**Also, if you haven't done so, I urge you to read my oneshot, "Sweet Release", about the first time Blaine self-harms.**

**I love all of you, and again, I'm sorry. Now, without any further ado, here is chapter 17, The Touch.**

* * *

Paul Karofsky was a simple guy. He liked football, beer (Fat Tire was his preferred choice), and a nice big medium-rare steak. He had a good job, a beautiful wife, and two great kids; what some would call an 'ideal life'. He knew better, though, because at that moment, he was clutching his screaming wife outside their son's ICU hospital room.

He didn't fully understand what was going on, but when the young doctor yelled "we're losing him!", Paul felt his heart break.

"No! NO! Davie, no!" Judith clung to the tan lapels of Paul's sportcoat, her eyes wide and staring into the room in front of her.

They stood like that for a while, both of their hearts beating fast, their breathing shallow. They listened to the shouting, the running, and the cacophany of different beeps and boops, with a few _kashunks_ of the shocks keeping their son's heart going. All they wanted was for their little boy, their firstborn, to live, so when they finally, _finally_ heard "he's stable!", they sank to the floor in relief. Their son, their poor, hurting, damaged Davie, was alive.

* * *

"Mia? Mia, what's going on?" Blaine asked as soon as his sister's face popped up on his computer screen. Her eyes looked darker than normal, the skin on her face a pale, pasty white. Her normally smiling mouth was set in a thin frown, worrying Blaine even more.

"Blaine, before you totally freak out too much, I'm okay now." she sighed, and that's when Blaine took in her surroundings; she was in a hospital room, all the wires and tubes around her making his sister's small frame look even smaller.

"You're okay _now_?" he tried to keep his voice down. "What happened?"

"Yes, BB, I'm okay. Just let me tell you what's going on before you have an aneurysm." she took a seemingly painful breath, and continued. "You know how I had a regular check-up today, right? To see how I did with the first chemo treatment?"

Blaine nodded, waiting for more information.

"Well, the doctor was checking something with my blood, and I sort of... passed out." Her voice trailed off.

"Passed out?" Blaine couldn't control the volume of his voice.

"Blainey! I'm okay now, alright? Just, just breathe." She was using what Blaine called her 'mother voice', a voice she only used when she thought Blaine was being ridiculous.

"Okay, okay." He took a deep breath to calm himself, then closed his eyes before he spoke again. "So, you're in the hospital for how long?" he opened his eyes again.

"Um, we're not too sure yet." Blaine's eyes almost popped out of his head. "Blaine! It's a good thing! I mean, at least this way the doctors can get my weight up to what it should be." she gave a half-hearted smile.

"Where it _should_ be? Mia, how much freaking weight have you lost?" he couldn't help it, he was becoming near-hysterical.

"..." She was quiet.

"Mia." he glared at the screen.

"Almost fifteen pounds..." she was quiet, but he could hear her.

A strangled noise escaped from his throat, and he was pretty sure he had lost the ability to speak. Mia wasn't big before the cancer (she had a healthy weight, the doctors said), and now? Jesus. Going from 130 to 115 was too much.

"Also, um, BB, I'm pretty much constantly dehydrated, due to some side effects of the chemo." she ducked her head, not looking at the webcam.

"Side effects? You just started! What kind of side effects?" he asked, not sure if he could take any more information.

"Like, side effects that affect digestion, Blainey. Think about it."

Oh. Ew.

Apparently his realization showed on his face, since she chuckled and said, "Yeah, that one."

"Well, other than all that... stuff, how are you? How long are you going to be there?" he hoped she would say 'tomorrow, I'l be out bright and early tomorrow morning!', but he knew better than that.

"They want to keep me here for a week or so, maybe more, so they can observe me." She shrugged. "It helps, I guess, since I'm so weak I can hardly walk." Rolling her eyes, she continued. "You know, I knew this would be hard, but I didn't think freaking _ovarian_ cancer would affect so many other parts of me. This is ridiculous, I just want to be done."

Blaine was quiet for a second, just looking at Mia. She was obviously still Mia, his fun-loving, sarcastic, energetic sister, but there was something missing; that little spark of life was almost completely diminished, and Blaine hated that. "You will be." he said with more confidence than he actually felt.

"What?" She asked, looking at him questioningly.

"You'll be fine, Mia. It might take a bit, but I think you'll be alright soon. Besides, you're at dad's hospital, right?" she nodded. "See, all those doctors and nurses taking care of you know Dad, and they know that you're important. They'll do everything they can to get you better and keep you that way."

"Provided they can keep me from throwing up, baby boy, I'll be okay with staying here. I gotta go, Blainey, I feel super sick and I don't want to throw up on camera. I'm so sorry, this came out of nowhere, I love you!" She gave a weak smile before ending the video call.

Blaine just stared at the Warbler's photo set at his background before closing his laptop, and laying down on his bed. Seeing Mia like that, and knowing that she was so sick, and hurting so much (he could see the bruises on her arms when she moved) made him feel so helpless. He was watching his sister wither away, and it was all he could do to keep himself from falling apart.

* * *

The rest of the week had gone by quickly for the boys, both of them with their minds elsewhere, but neither one wanting to spend any time apart. Kurt still needed Blaine's constant help around the school, so they were always together, but even if he didn't need the help, he knew Blaine needed his company. That Friday night, they found themselves at Kurt's house, working on their pre-calculus homework.

"Blaine, I am _never_ going to get this!" Kurt dropped his pencil to the couch cushion next to him, where four crumpled pieces of paper (all with failed math problems) were.

"Sweetheart, you'll do fine. Just move on from that question if you don't get it, then go back to it later." Blaine smiled a crooked smile at Kurt, who could barely stop himself from swooning right there.

"Hey, if I do that, I'll never go back to any of the questions, because I don't get _any_ of it!" He crossed his arms and started to pout.

"Baby, just move on to your drawing homework, then. I know you have a sketch you have to finish for next Tuesday, just do that. Drawing calms you, and by the time you're done, you'll be able to do your math." Blaine smiled, then kissed Kurt sweetly on the cheek.

"Such a charmer, Blaine Anderson, such a charmer." Kurt shook his head and moved to put away the offending homework and book, and pulled out his sketchpad from his bookbag. "Since you have all the answers, why don't you tell me what I should draw, hmm?" he raised an eyebrow at his adorable boyfriend, and looked him up and down. Blaine was still in his uniform; mostly. He had ditched the jacket and tie, and had unbuttoned the first few buttons on his Oxford shirt, letting Kurt see the white t-shirt underneath. The sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, and Kurt could see every muscle move and dance as he wrote out complicated math problems. He didn't realize he was staring until he heard Blaine clearing his throat, an amused look on his face.

"See something you li-ooph!" Kurt smacked him in the stomach before he could completely finish his sentence.

"My father is in the next room!" he hissed, but Blaine's smirk didn't disappear.

"Doesn't mean you can't look, babe. You just have to keep your hands to yourself." He winked. He _winked_. Oh, god; Kurt Hummel was in trouble with this one.

"Kurt? Blaine?" Blaine tried to ignore the fluttering panic in his stomach as he heard Burt Hummel approach the living room, reminding himself that they had been doing nothing inappropriate, they were just... Doing homework.

"Yeah, Dad?" Kurt asked as soon as Burt stepped into the room.

"I just got a phone call from your lawyer, Blaine. She said that Karofsky woke up a couple hours ago, and he's still in stable condition. Apparently he crashed a few times, but the docs think he'll be okay."

At that news, both boys let out a breath of relief. "So he's awake? And he remembers everything that happened, so we can have another hearing?" Blaine asked, his mind just on getting that asshole put away for as long as possible. He knew that Karofsky was a screwed up kid, but he still could have killed Kurt. There was no good reason for the system to go easy on him, even if he and Kurt agreed that he needed counseling.

Kurt looked at Blaine, a little confused. "He's okay, though, right?" he asked his dad. He wanted to know that the other boy would be alright.

"Uh, I think so. Not sure, but they think he might. He's stable, so for now, he's okay." Burt sighed. "Yeah, Blaine, I think we could go ahead with a hearing as soon as he gets well enough to leave the hospital. I don't know how long they'll keep him there, but he's still under suicide watch, so we might have to wait a while." He glanced down at what the boys were doing, and decided to leave them be. "You guys keep working on your homework, Carole will be home to start making dinner soon. Grilled salmon okay for you, Blaine?"

"Yes, sir. Thank you."

"Stop with the 'sir', kid, I told ya. It's Burt." he grinned at the boys, then left them alone.

They were quiet for a few seconds, before Blaine finally spoke up. "Well, it's good that he's okay. I mean, I never wanted him to die, you know?"

"Yeah." Kurt had a look on his face, one that Blaine had come to learn as the 'I'm thinking of something that someone won't approve of, how can I do this' look.

"Kurt? Babe, what are you thinking about?" he asked warily, a little afraid of the answer.

"Well, my dad said Karofsky's awake, right?" He still had that thoughtful look on his face.

"Yeah..."

"I want to go see him." Kurt's voice was small, but still had that fierceness Blaine had come to love.

"No." He may have loved how headstrong his boyfriend was, but this was crossing the line.

"No?" Kurt sounded scandalized.

"No. You don't need to go see him." Blaine set his homework on the coffee table, and crossed his arms.

"You're not my father, Blaine, you don't get to tell me what I can and can't do." He shifted in his seat, turning toward his boyfriend. "I get it, you don't want me to be around him because of what he did to us, but he's in the hospital, and he's on suicide watch. I highly doubt he'll do anything to me." Kurt obviously thought his argument made sense.

"I may not be your father, Kurt, but I _am_ your boyfriend, and I _do_ care about your well-being. Going to see Karofsky isn't going to do either one of you any good, and I don't think you should go. Suicide watch or not, hospital or not, its not a good idea. You don't need to go see him, Kurt." Blaine kept his voice even, trying not to show just how angry he was getting. Karofsky could have _killed_ Kurt, did he not get that?

"Too bad, Blaine, I'm going to go and you can't exactly stop me."

"No, but I can." both boys looked up as Burt came back into the living room. "You're not going to see him, buddy. I'm sorry, but Blaine's right, it's not a good idea."

Blaine smirked a little.

"Dad, I need to see him, I need to talk to him and make sure he'll be okay. He tried to _kill _himself Dad, he obviously needs someone to talk to him."

"Did you forget what he did to you?" Burt motioned at Kurt's cast. "He wasn't exactly your best friend, kiddo, he could have killed _you_. You're not going to that hospital, and that's final. I don't want to hear any more about it, you understand? Besides, it's not like you can drive anywhere."

"Yes, sir. I understand." Kurt's voice had become sullen, much like his facial expression.

"Good. Now you boys keep working on your homework, Carole just called to say she's almost home." he glanced at his son once more, then headed back to the kitchen.

"Kurt, I-"

"Not now, Blaine, let's just... do our homework." He turned away from Blaine, his eyes and jaw set in an angry pose. He wouldn't say anything to Blaine of course, but he was _going_ to see Karofsky, and he knew just how to do it.

* * *

"Finn? Finn! Get _up_, Finn!" Kurt was standing in his step-brother's dirty bedroom, trying to avoid the massive piles of food, trash and clothes.

"Fivemoreminutesmoooom!" Finn whined, and turned over.

"Finn Christopher Hudson, if you don't get up right this second, I'll break this Playstation!" At that, Finn sat up as quick as possible, a panicked look on his face.

"NO!" He fell out of the bed, landing with a _thunk_ on a stack of empty video game cases.

Kurt smirked. "Now that you're awake, you can get dressed and drive me to the hospital that Karofsky's at."

Finn pulled himself back up onto his bed, rubbing his still-sprained wrist through the brace. "Uh, dude, didn't your dad say you couldn't go up there?" he was confused. It was only (he looked) 9 in the morning, on a Saturday. What the hell was Kurt doing awake?

"Technically, he said I can't go up there, but he never said you couldn't take me." he smiled a devious little smile.

"Kurt, man, you know I would love to help you out, but my mom and Burt would get totally pissed if I-"

"First of all, they went shopping at Home Depot this morning, and then they're going to lunch, so they won't be back for hours.. Secondly, I think they'd get more pissed off if I told them about the blonde cheerleader porn I found under your bed. I also have photographic evidence of it on my camera." He smiled even wider. "Oh, and I'm sure Rachel would be _so pleased_ to know about it too, seeing as how Quinn is back on the market..." Kurt could see the fear in Finn's wide eyes.

"N-no, dude, it's fine, I'll take you. Just, um, give me a few minutes, okay? I'll meet you out in my truck."

"Thank you very much Finn, I appreciate it." He turned and used his crutches to get himself out of Finn's space, grateful that his search of the disgusting room (and ew, that porn...) had yielded such positive results. He'd have to keep all that in mind for the next time he wanted Finn to do something for him.

* * *

Blaine felt bad. He never wanted to make Kurt upset, or insinuate that he knew best, but he really, _really_ didn't want him to go see Dave Karofsky. He knew that the fact that Karofsky was in the hospital was probably the reason he wanted to go see him, and more than just 'oh, poor Karofsky's in the hospital'. It was also a way to talk to him in a safe environment. With that in mind, he guessed he could see where Kurt was coming from, so he felt the need to apologize, and the best way to do that was... flowers. Okay, yeah, kissing helped, but flowers got you to the kissing part. With that in mind, Blaine was just a few blocks from Kurt's house at 9:20 in the morning that Saturday, a simple bouquet of tiger lilies sitting in the seat next to him. He smiled a little, thinking of the surprise he'd see on Kurt's face when he showed up at his doorstep.

He pulled into the driveway, which was surprisingly empty. He was about to get out of the car and go knock on the door when he heard a few beeps from his phone, signalling a text message. He hadn't even finished reading the message, and his anger was already coming back, full stop.

_sry dude kurt madde me take him to the hosptal, but rach called me, i g2g can u come geet him? - the finnster_

So, it seemed as though Kurt hadn't just gone behind his back, he went behind his dad's back, too. He wouldn't tell Burt about this, since it could get Kurt in serious trouble, but he we definitely going to have a little chat with his boyfriend. With that thought in mind, Blaine put the car in reverse, and headed toward the hospital. This wasn't going to end well.

* * *

It hadn't taken long for Blaine to get to the hospital, park, and find his way to Dave Karofsky's room. He knew he was on suicide watch, but he didn't expect the hospital guard standing outside his room.

"Can I, uh, go in there?" he asked awkwardly.

"No, he's already got one visitor. Only one at a time, sorry kid." The guard looked away from him. "You can stand out here and wait, though, if you promise not to go in. I've gotta run to the bathroom anyway. You just, stay there." he slowly walked away from Blaine, then turned a corner.

Blaine was a little shocked that the guard would just take off like that, but that must have meant he wasn't too worried about Karofsky trying anything at all. He was about to open the door and walk into the room when he heard a gravelly voice start talking. Blaine cracked the door open a little so he could hear what was being said, and was a surprised at what he heard.

"I'm sorry." That was obviously Karofsky.

"I know." Kurt sounded a little sad.

"I really am. You know that, right?"

"I do."

"Do... do you think I, um, deserved..." he was quiet for a second.

"Deserved what, Dave?" Dave? Since when did Kurt call him _Dave_?

"To die." Blaine could barely hear him.

"No." Kurt sighed. "You screwed up. You screwed up big-time, and you know that. You could have killed me, Karofsky. You could have killed Blaine." Blaine felt his heart beat a little harder when he heard Kurt say his name. "But you didn't. And you don't deserve to die."

The sigh that he heard next was Karofsky's and was full of relief.

"I'm not saying that you don't deserve to be punished." Kurt spoke up a little more, and Blaine didn't have to strain so much to hear him. "You saw the pictures, you saw what you did to us. And even before that, you used to make my life a living hell. Slushies, throwing me against lockers, and into dumpsters. You treated me like less than a second-class citizen, and yeah, it hurt. It still hurts." More emotion was pouring into Kurt's voice, and Blaine wanted to run in there and scoop him up in his arms, his anger be damned.

"Karof- Dave, you need to understand that you cross so many lines. I though that, that _kissing_ me was the last line, but no, beating me and my boyfriend up was the last line. I can't let that go."

Blaine heard a shuddering sob, and knew that it had come from the football player. "I'm so, so sorry, Kurt. I never wanted to do that, _any_ of that. I'm so sorry." another sob.

"If I may ask, why _did_ you do that?" Kurt's voice had gone quiet again.

"Huh?" Karofsky sounded as confused as Blaine felt. Why did he do what?"

"Why did you kiss me?"

Blaine's jaw dropped; he never expected Kurt to really ask that.

"Um, I..."

"Please, I want to know. I _need_ to know." Kurt urged.

"I guess... Because I've always been, I don't know, jealous."

"Jealous?" Blaine heard Kurt exclaim. Truth be told, Blaine wasn't that shocked.

"Well, yeah." he sighed, and Blaine heard a sniffle. "Think about it, dude. You've always been..."

"Obviously gay?" Blaine could hear the amusement in Kurt's voice.

"Pretty much. No offense, man, but even when you were telling everyone you were straight, people already knew that you were a flaming fa- sorry, sorry, that you were totally gay." Blaine's hand tightened on the doorknob. "I've been trying to fight that part of me for so long, and seeing you everywhere I went, being yourself, and the fact that you just kept going every time we did all that shit to you... I got jealous. I wanted to be able to be myself, just like you."

It was quiet for a moment, and Blaine was contemplating bursting in when he heard Kurt speak again. "And you thought that jealousy was a good reason to kiss me?"

"Well, um, not really." Karofsky cleared his throat. "I mean, it's not like there's anything I ever could have really done about it, especially not now, but, um... Seeing you every day, it was kind of a reminder of what I couldn't have."

"A life being out and proud?"

"You." Blaine was sure that his jaw was now resting next to his brown and white saddle shoes, because there was no way in hell it was still attached to his face.

"W-what?" Kurt gasped.

"I sort of had, you know, uh, _feelings_ for you." Blaine was frozen in place. "Seeing you every day, it made me want to be with you, and that just made everything so much harder. I'm sorry, I am, but-"

Blaine couldn't stop himself; he burst through the door, with fire in his eyes.

"Blaine!"

"Kurt."

"Um, D-Dave and I were just talking about-"

"Finn asked me to pick you up, he had to leave. I'll be in my car in the main parking lot. I'll meet you down there." he kept his voice even, but Kurt could tell he was livid.

"O-okay, Blaine, I'll be down in a second." He started to stand up, but he didn't miss the glare that Blaine sent Karofsky; the one that said 'back the _fuck_ off'. Blaine didn't stay in the room for long, he turned on his heel and started down the hallway before Kurt had even picked up his crutches. "Hey, I'll call up here later today and give you my phone number, in case you need anything. I doubt they'll let you call me, but just in case..." he gave a half-hearted smile and turned to leave. "Just so you know, Dave, you still hurt me. You hurt Blaine, too, and I can't forgive you yet. I'll work on it, but you have to work on it, too." With that, he finally left the depressing hospital room, and made his way to Blaine's car.

He tried not to think too much about what Karofsky had said about liking him as he walked, but it was hard not to. Did he really have feelings for him? Was he metaphorically beating the gay out of _himself_ when he was hurting Kurt? He really had no idea if he should believe the other boy, but Karofsky didn't have much of a reason to lie anymore.

Kurt got to Blaine's car quicker than he thought he would, and a deep feeling of dread bubbled up from his stomach. The passenger door was already open, but Blaine was buckled into his seat, both hands on the steering wheel; it was clear that he wasn't going to help Kurt with his crutches, or getting into the vehicle. After a few minutes of moving things around and hopping on one foot, Kurt was finally in the passenger seat, safely buckled in. It was only then that he noticed the flowers on the dashboard.

"Blaine?" he asked timidly.

"Yes?" Blaine responded, his voice cool.

"Honey, are those for me?"

Blaine slowly turned to look at his boyfriend, and Kurt felt a jolt of fear run through his spine. "They are. I had actually just pulled into your driveway with these as an apology for what I said to you yesterday when I got the message from Finn asking me to pick you up. You'll want to put them in water as soon as you get home." He turned away from Kurt's sad face and started the engine.

The ride back to Kurt's house was quiet, and even though he could barely stand it, Kurt let Blaine keep his silence. It wasn't until they were inside the living room, the place of the initial argument, that Kurt finally begged Blaine to say something.

"Please, sweetie, just, say anything! Anything, I don't care what, but I can't stand you not talking to me." he was still standing in front of Blaine, letting his body rest on the crutches.

"Anything? What do you want me to say? How about you say something; how about you tell me what the _hell _you were thinking? You showed up there after we argued about it? After your _dad_ told you not to go? Jeez, Kurt, what the hell did you hope to accomplish?" Blaine wasn't shouting yet, but he was close to it.

"I don't know, okay!" Kurt _did_ shout. "I just wanted to let him know he wasn't alone, okay? Is that alright with you? I just wanted to let him know that even though he _fucked up_, that he wasn't alone, that there were other people like him!"

"We already TRIED THAT!" Blaine finally yelled. "Or don't you remember? You don't remember him shoving me? You don't remember pushing him off of me? You don't remember telling me that he stole your first _fucking_ kiss?" He let out a small, humorless laugh. "I'm so disappointed, Kurt. I can't believe you would willingly go talk to someone, _alone_, I might add, who threatened your life."

"Blaine, I-"

"I've gotta go, Kurt. I can't be around you right now, I'm too angry. Here," he handed Kurt the bouquet, "put those in water. I'll try to text you later." he gave one last wistful look at Kurt, then left.

Kurt stood there for a few more minutes before going to put the flowers in a vase. He couldn't make himself move; he could only stare at the door, and hang on one of the words Blaine had said. _Disappointed_. He hated, absolutely **hated** that word.

* * *

"I'm so confused."

"Go with the sour cream and onion, that's always a good idea." Eric stuffed one of the chips he was talking about into his mouth, his mind completely focused on the Harry Potter video game he was playing. "Aw, come _on_! I totally grabbed the right ingredient!"

"No, Eric, I mean... Ugh!" Jeff flopped onto Eric's bed, unplugging the controller as he did.

"Dude! Not cool!" Eric scrambled up to plug it back in, but it was too late; he had lost that part of the game. Sighing, he turned off the console, and turned to look at his distraught roommate. "Alright, spill it. What are you so confused about?"

"Simon. Kurt. Everything!" he covered his eyes, acting every bit the drama queen Eric knew he could be. "I mean, I love Simon. I have ever since we first started dating last year, but I sort of called out Kurt's name when I... well, you know." he blushed.

"No, I don't know." He leaned back on his pillows, expecting Jeff to continue with his story.

"I was _with_ Simon, and I called out Kurt's name when I... arrived." he couldn't look Eric in the eye.

"Ahh. I understand. Calling out another dude's name when you're with your boyfriend isn't very smart."

"No fucking duh, asshole. But now I'm so confused about everything. I want to be with Simon, but if I was thinking about Kurt when I... then who should I be with? And it's not like Kurt's even a viable option anymore, now that he's dating Blaine, but what if he still kind of wants to be with me? I can't just say no because I-"

"JEFF!" Eric yelled, getting sick of Jeff's rambling.

"What?" he sat up.

"Have you ever considered just being, oh, I don't know, _single_ for a while?"

"Huh?" Jeff acted like it was a foreign concept, and with him, it honestly was.

"Maybe you need to take some time to be by yourself, and figure out who you are, and what you want hefore you go jumping into a relationship. You always seem to be with someone, even if it's not official, and I think you should just back off for a bit."

"No."

"No?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"I can't."

"You can't."

"Nope." Jeff sounded so sure of himself.

"Explain, please. I'm lost." Eric had his forehead scrunched in confusion; it was obvious that he needed Jeff to elaborate.

"I need... physical contact. Affection. I can't live without it."

"Huh?"

Jeff sighed. "Whatever we talk about stays in this room, right?" he seemed worried.

"Of course, man, what's up?" Eric was starting to get a little concerned.

"Okay. So, you know I've been in boarding schools since, like, forever. Kindergarten, elementary, middle school, and now high school. I only ever spend summers and Christmas break at home." Eric nodded; he knew all of this. "Well, you don't really know why, though." he sighed, then sat up.

"You can tell me anything."

"I know." He cleared his throat. "My dad doesn't want me at home."

"What?" Eric didn't know what to say.

"It's because I'm gay, but it started before that. My dad's not a very physical guy. He barely even hugs and kisses my mom, so it's not that weird to me that he didn't ever hug me when I was growing up. He buys me things like the Camaro and the Ducati, all the expensive clothes and stuff so that he doesn't have to feel too guilty, but I know that there's more to the story than that."

"What else?" Eric asked.

"I overheard him talking to my mom, once, the night I came out. I was 13, and I was scared shitless. They surprised me, though, they both said that they loved me no matter what, and I'd always be their son, but they didn't do a big family hug or anything, and I didn't expect them to. I went up to my room, and just cried because I was so happy that they didn't disown me or something. But later that night, I went to go get a soda, and I overheard them. I heard my dad admit that he was always afraid to hug me because I was a boy, and he was afraid it might make me gay. Now that I had actually come _out_ as gay, he said he was even more afraid, like he would... like he would _catch_ it." Jeff couldn't help the sad little sob that escaped. "I never got any sort of physical affection from my parents, so Eric, you have to understand, I _need_ it from everyone else."

He looked up after a few moments of silence, afraid that he had scared Eric too much, that he had revealed too much, but that didn't last long; he was soon tackled to the bed with a very snuggle-happy Eric on top of him.

"If you need a hug, man, just ask."

* * *

"You look pissed." Mia commented.

"Oh, you can tell?" Blaine snarked back. "Sorry, Mia, I'm just-"

"Pissed." she smiled a little.

"Yeah." he looked up at her image on his computer, and noticed that she was looking a little better than she had the week before. "Hey, have you put back on some of that weight? You're looking really go-"

"Tell me why you're mad, little brother."

"... I don't want to."

"Do it."

Blaine groaned. "It's Kurt, okay?"

"Knew it." Mia grinned. "Now tell me what happened."

"I told you that Karofsky was in the hospital after he tried to kill himself?" Mia nodded at him. "Well, he's awake now, and Kurt got this idea that he'd go to there and try to _talk_ to him." he shook his head. "He gave me some story about how he wanted to prove to that asshole that he wasn't alone, but we already did that!"

"Back in November, I remember that." She looked thoughtful. "I don't think you're telling me everything."

"Damn you."

"Start talking."

"We argued about it last night, after he told me what he wanted to do. I told him I didn't want him to go, and his dad agreed. He lied to me _and_ his dad, Mia. He's never lied to me like that before."

"Blaine, BB, you didn't really have the right to tell him not to go. You're not his dad."

"You sound just like Kurt now, Mia." He rolled his eyes.

"He has a point, then, just like I do." She leaned forward, the hospital bed creaking under her. "You can't tell him what to do, just like he can't tell you what to do. You're partners in a relationship, neither one of you should be 'in charge', and you can't act like you know best."

"I wasn't trying to act like I 'know best'!" He used finger quotes, his irritation bubbling up. "I don't, okay? I just don't want him to get hurt, and every _single _ time he's near that neanderthal, he gets hurt. I couldn't stand it if anything else happened to him, I couldn't." he dropped his head in his hands, trying not to get too mad.

"That guy's in the hospital, he can't hurt him. Plus I know that you're still not telling me everything." Mia was quiet, her voice almost silent, but he heard her.

"I'm afraid, okay?" He grumbled.

"Afraid of what?"

"Alright. When I first met Kurt, do you remember what I said?"

"You said, if I remember correctly that 'he's this sweet, sweet boy who's so alone right now. I just want to show him that he's not al-'... Oh, Blainey." She frowned, realization crossing her kind features.

"Yeah. I just wanted to show Kurt that he 'wasn't alone', and look what happened to us? We're together, in a relationship. I can't help but feel like... like that could happen with Kurt and Karofsky." he looked so dejected, so sad, that Mia wanted to reach through the computer and hug him until he was all better.

"Blaine, Blainey, you've got to listen to me. Kurt would never, _never_ leave you for this other guy. Not only is he head over heels for you, this Karofsky kid beat him senseless. Kurt would never fall for that. You've got to trust me, alright? Trust me, and trust Kurt."

"I don't know if I can, Mia. I'm so afraid of losing him, and we've only been together for a month..." He wiped a stray tear from his eye.

"Blaine, I say this with all the love in the world: Get. Over. It." He looked up, shocked. "You're being insecure, and I gotta say, it's not attractive. If you want to trust Kurt, he's got to trust you, and if you're not telling him how you really feel, what you really think about what's going on, then he has no reason to trust you in turn. So man up, little brother, and _talk_ to him." she coughed a little, but stopped talking.

"Fine. Fine, I'll talk to him." he saw the smile on her face. "But not tonight, I'm still too upset. Can we talk about something else, please?"

* * *

He can't quite believe he's in this situation. Just hours ago, the boy who had taken over his life (for better or for worse, but mostly for worse) had come to see him. Granted, his boyfriend had come to take him away, but it helped to know that Kurt could (maybe) eventually forgive him, and that helped. Now, in the seat that Kurt was in, his mother was sitting. Her little hands were holding one of his, and she wasn't even looking him in the eye. He could feel her shaking, and was about to ask her if she was okay when she finally spoke.

"Davie, are you... you know?"

Huh? "Mom, I don't know, what are you talking about?" he was genuinely confused.

"Do you, um, like... boys?" she said the last word so quietly, he didn't think he heard her right. Apparently the question on his face provoked her into elaborating. "Davie, are you g-gay?" his eyes widened, and he felt his stomach drop to somewhere around his ankles.

He was frozen, but he managed a small nod, then quickly looked away from her wet eyes. They were both quiet for a while, neither one really wanting to break the silence, but then he heard her really start crying. "Mom? Please, Mom, stop crying. I'm so, I'm so sorry, and if I could change myself, if I could stop, _being_ this way, I would. I tried, but I can't. That's why I'm here, that's why everything happened. I wanted so badly to just _stop_ being this way and-" he stopped when he heard her gasp. It took him a second, but he realized what he said, and immediately wanted to take it all back. Did he mean it? Did he try to kill himself because he knew he couldn't change this part of who he was?

"Dave, Davie, I have to have you know that no matter what, your father and I love you. We'll stick with you through this, you have to understand that." she sounded earnest, dead-set on making her little boy realize that he was loved. She didn't hesitate in her movements, she just stood up from the chair and swept her son up in a hug, kissing his forehead and whispering little words of love.

He let himself start to cry a little, and couldn't help but be happy. Yeah, he was in serious trouble, facing jail time and all, but in that moment, he thought that with his parent's love and acceptance, maybe he could do this. He had no idea that at the same time, his mother was thinking of the card in her purse, the one that read _Helping Hands, a Gay-to-Straight Conversion Center_. They even had therapists that went on location, and she had learned that they also visited jails and juvenile detention centers. Her little boy could be normal again.

* * *

_Disappointed_.

_Disappointed._

_Disappointed._

It was the only word that kept running through Kurt's head that night, while he was trying desperately to work on his abandoned math homework from the night before. He had heard that from people before, and it always hurt. His father had been disappointed when he came home with a broken windshield. Mercedes had been disappointed that he hadn't trusted her with his sexuality. Finn had been disappointed when Kurt told him he was leaving for Dalton. Jeff had been disappointed when... And now Blaine was disappointed. He kept doing it; he kept hurting the people he cared about, and he was so sick of it. He couldn't help but think of the way Blaine said, it, and the hurt in his face.

_"I'm so disappointed, Kurt. I can't believe you would willingly go talk to someone, alone, I might add, who threatened your life."_

It reminded him of the last time someone told him they were disappointed in him.

The night of the movie marathon, the night that Blaine had admitted his feelings, things had gotten heated with Jeff. When Blaine asked him how far he'd gone, Kurt hadn't exactly lied, but he hadn't been totally truthful, either. That night, Jeff tried to go farther than Kurt was comfortable with.

* * *

_Kurt had his hands on Jeff's chest, partially holding up the boy above him. They were kissing feverishly, the movie on the small tv screen forgotten._

_"So gorgeous." Jeff mumbled against Kurt's swollen lips. "So fucking hot." he ground his hips into Kurt's, eliciting a gasp from the brunette._

_"J-Jeff..." Kurt moaned, breathing a little harder than a moment ago. He moved his hips up to meet Jeff's, a little desperate, and a little scared at the same time._

_"Feel so good, baby. You feel so good." Jeff nibbled on Kurt's earlobe, flicking his tongue across it and sucking a little. Kurt couldn't even formulate a response; all the blood from his brain was rapidly speeding toward his dick, and his brain had given up the fight. He just wanted to feel good._

_Kurt grasped at Jeff's shirt, trying to pull it up and over his chest; he wanted to touch, to taste that tan skin below the cotton. Jeff got the hint, and moved to straddle Kurt so he could slip off his shirt. Once it was gone, he got an animalistic look in his eyes, and started tugging at the hem of Kurt's shirt as well._

_"I showed you mine, now you show me yours." He winked at the gasping boy below him, who just nodded and let him pull it off. The pale chest below him was heaving with each breath, and before he could do anything else, he dropped his head down to taste it._

_"OhmygodJeff!" Kurt squeaked as he felt a little wet lick across his nipple. His hips bucked up into Jeff's, and the sensation of hardness against hardness made him a little dizzy._

_"That good, baby?" Jeff murmured against Kurt's collarbone._

_"Y-yeah..." Kurt closed his eyes and let himself enjoy the feeling of being touched this way, of being wanted this way._

_"Wanna feel better than good?" he could hear the smirk in Jeff's voice as his hands lightly brushed his sides, little goosebumps following the warm fingers._

_"Uh-huh." Kurt moaned, not sure that he could feel any better._

_"Let me take care of you." Jeff swiped his fingers along the top of Kurt's pajama bottoms._

_"Mm." Kurt was no longer capable of speech. His sense of touch, however, was more acute than ever, so when he felt those same warm fingers brush against something that had never been touched by anyone else, his eyes jerked open and his hands flew to stop those fingers. "W-what are you doing?"_

_Jeff pulled his hand away from Kurt's obvious bulge, confusion evident on his face. "What do you __**think**__ I was doing?" he sounded angry. "I told you I was going to take care of you, what did you think that meant?"_

_Kurt was confused. "I, I don't know, but I didn't think you meant..."_

_"You didn't think I'd jerk you off?" Jeff __**was**__ upset._

_"Jeff, please, I don't know how to do any of this, okay? I've never been touched like this before, it's all new to me." Kurt was feeling exposed, his chest still gleaming in the light from the forgotten tv._

_"I'm just disappointed, Kurt. I can't believe you wouldn't trust me enough with this. I know what I'm doing okay? I know how to make you feel good. That's all I want, babe, is to make you feel good. I can't do that if you won't let me."_

_Kurt's eyes widened. "I do trust you, Jeff, I just..."_

_"I know, you've never done this before. I'll wait, I will, but I want you to know, you can trust me. You won't regret it; I'll make you feel amazing." Jeff kissed the tip of his nose before pulling him into a hug, and all Kurt could think of was how he felt as soon has Jeff told him he was disappointed._

* * *

Kurt shook his head, the memory of that night fading away. He and Jeff had never goen further than that, since Kurt hadn't trusted him enough. He trusted Blaine, though, and couldn't help but think that maybe the two instances could have something to do with one another.

Jeff had been disappointed because Kurt didn't trust him enough, and Blaine was disappointed because he obviously didn't trust Karofsky enough, and by extension, Kurt himself. A lightbulb went off in Kurt's head, and he suddenly knew how he'd get Blaine to trust him...

* * *

**Next: Blaine wants to show Kurt that he trusts him by telling him how he feels, but Kurt has other plans. Meanwhile, trouble is brewing back at Dalton: can anyone stop it before it blows up in their faces?**


	18. The Gift

**A/N: One thing before I post this: I feel terrible. I have no excuse. I am, however, using NaNoWriMo to finish this story. That's right, folks, I said 'finish'. I have more of the story to tell, so it's not going to end quickly, but it'll be finished shortly after November is done. And then... sequel. :)  
Oh, this chapter officially gives this story an 'M' rating... **

**Without further ado, Chapter 18: The Gift.**

* * *

Blaine used to like Sundays, he really did. Even before he and Kurt got together, Sundays meant that they would usually spend all morning texting back and forth, maybe even get on Skype for an hour or two. Then they'd usually time their departure from their homes so that they'd reach Dalton within a few minutes of each other. Once they were officially together (much to the relief of many), their Sundays were spent constantly on the phone, texting, calling, and they would even arrive early to Dalton so that they could spend more time together.

Now that Kurt and Blaine had had a fight, though, things were difficult. Blaine was sitting in his room that bright Sunday morning, trying his best to ignore his beeping cell phone. Every once in a while he'd hear the soft ringtone, Idina Menzel's voice echoing through his room as she sang about gravity.

"You gonna answer that phone?" Blaine's mother popped her head into his room.

"No, Mom. Not right now." He sighed, and pressed **ignore** on his ringing cell.

Allison Anderson took a few steps into her son's bedroom and shut the door behind her. "Sit up, Blainey." He did so, grumbling slightly. Allison sat next to him, and reached an arm around his shoulders.

"What, Mom?" He was quiet.

"Why aren't you answering Kurt's calls?" Well. That was to the point.

"I can't right now, Mom. I screwed up, and he thinks it's his fault."

"So why not answer him, and apologize?"

"I can't just apologize over the phone. I need to do it in person, and probably with a song. Kurt doesn't really deserve just an 'I'm sorry', he needs something bigger."

"Blaine, I understand that, but still, don't you think that you could at least answer the phone and tell him that much? Tell him that you're sorry, and that you are going to do something to show how sorry you are?" Allison knew her son, and knew how he behaved, but she also knew that if he didn't at least answer his boyfriend, Kurt would get even more upset.

"I'll see him tomorrow. Until then, I can work on something to do for him." He grumbled. "I appreciate your concern, Mom, but I gotta finish packing my stuff to go back."

Allison got up, giving Blaine a quick kiss on the forehead. "Make sure you say goodbye before you leave, Blainey. I have a box of leftover cupcakes for you to take back. Make sure Wes stays away from the kiwi ones, there's a lot of sugar in those. I know how he gets on sugar."

Blaine chuckled, and nodded his head. "Yeah, no problem. Thanks, Mom." she blew him a kiss, and shut the door on her way out.

* * *

"Finn, he won't answer my calls, my texts, nothing! He hasn't even been on Skype." Kurt groaned, and closed his eyes. "I just don't want him to hate me."

"Dude, he doesn't hate you. He's just pissed off that you went and saw Karofsky when he didn't want you to." Finn turned down the music in Burt's truck. He had asked to take Kurt back to school that morning, so he could make sure his brother was okay.

"But he's not talking to me. At all." Kurt's voice broke.

"Kurt, man, it'll be okay. At least he didn't tell Burt where you were. And I won't, either. You've got enough crap on your plate right now, you don't need your dad mad at you." he shrugged. "Besides, you'll _have_ to see him tomorrow, right? Since he carries your books and stuff?"

Kurt perked up at that. "Yeah, you're right. He'll _have_ to talk to me, we spend every passing period together. Plus Warblers." a hint of a smile was on his face.

"There you go, dude. You got the right attitude." Finn smiled.

"Finn?"

"Yeah?"

"We talked about the 'dude' thing. **Stop** with the 'dude', alright?"

"Sorry, du- I mean, sorry, Kurt." a sheepish grin crossed Finn's kind features, and he turned the music back up.

* * *

"So he stopped calling and texting you?" Wes asked, a green cupcake on its way to his mouth.

Blaine snatched it from him before he could eat it, much to Wes' chagrin. "Mom said no kiwi ones for you, you have issues with sugar. I'm not going to deal with you on a sugar high, so you can only have the sugar-free ones." Wes let out an epic sigh. "And no, Kurt's not trying to get a hold of me anymore. I think I saw Burt's truck in the parking lot when I got here, so I'm pretty sure he's back, but I don't want to try to talk to him when his dad is here, it could get ugly."

"I don't blame you." Wes eyed a plain unfrosted cupcake with disdain, but stuffed it in his mouth anyway.

"Yeah. Besides, I don't really have anything prepared for him, so I don't want to see him yet."

"Prepared?" Wes swallowed, watching Blaine unpack the rest of his clean clothes.

"Well, I screwed up. He did, too, don't get me wrong, but I feel like I should apologize to him for what I said. I told him I was disappointed in him, Wes. That's something a parent says, something a person in charge says. I'm not in charge of our relationship, and I need to show him that I know that and that I'm sorry for it. Then we can talk, and get everything sorted. And everything should go back to normal. Hopefully." he looked unsure, but squared his shoulders and finished putting away the last of his clean jeans.

"I'm going to ignore most of that and just ask you what you plan on doing. A song, a letter? Dancing around half-naked in his room while you play an accordion?"

"Shut up."

"Seriously, what are you going to do?" Wes sat back on his bed, watching Blaine do the same.

"A song, maybe. A poem? All I know is that it has to show Kurt how I feel about him, how much he means to me." he took one of the kiwi cupcakes for himself.

"You sure that's what you need to do? Maybe just actually _talking_ to him would work." he shrugged, taking another bite of the (admittedly good) cupcake.

"I'll talk to him, but I have to show him romance first. He deserves romance, Wes. A simple talk isn't going to prove to him how much I lo- how much I care." Blaine blushed at his slip-up. He wasn't even completely sure that he loved Kurt; after all, they had only been together for a little over a month.

"Whatever you say, Blaine. Whatever you say." Wes finished off the last bit of the cupcake. "You sure I can't have a kiwi one? You know they're my favorite!"

* * *

"Thanks for driving me today, Finn. I really do appreciate it." Kurt was resting on his bed, Finn sitting next to him. The boys were sharing a bag of non-fat, no salt, no 'nothing good' (as Finn called them) soy chips.

"No problem, man." he took another bite, pretending it was a barbecue chip. It didn't work.

"How's everything for Nationals coming along?" Kurt was trying to keep Finn there as long as he could; Nick wasn't going to get back until later that night, and he didn't want to be alone until then.

"I guess it's okay. I mean, we've been writing some original songs, but to be honest, they all kind of suck. Brittany wrote one about a cup, but it sounds super dirty at first. Santana's trying to get everyone to sing some song about Sam's lips, but it's creepy. Rachel and Quinn are the only ones who are actually trying to write some real stuff."

Kurt was a little surprised. Rachel, sure, but Quinn? "Why is Quinn writing? What's she writing about?" he nestled back into his pillows a little more, trying to ignore the little bit of pain in his still casted leg.

"I think she's writing about Beth. I get it, though, I do. I just don't know if a song about a teenage mom who gave her kid up for adoption is gonna win us any points at Nationals." Finn sighed. "But it can't be worse than Rachel's 'Only Child' song. It was kind of weird."

Kurt laughed a little, and took a chip from the bag between them. "What about you, are you writing anything?" he was curious as to what Finn would write about.

"Uh, not really. I mean, I was thinking that I could write about my dad, but since I'd never, you know, _met_ the guy, I wasn't sure if I could do that." He looked away from Kurt, a little embarrassed about his idea.

"I think that would be a great idea, Finn. Writing about your dad could actually help you out, too, you know. You don't have to present it as a song to the glee club, you could just keep it for yourself." He took a bite. "I've written about my mom before. I wrote a few songs over the years, some poems. I've even written letters to her."

"Me too." Kurt looked over at Finn. "Wrote letters, I mean. I used to write my dad one every year on my birthday, telling him how much I loved him, and how much I wished he could have been there when I blew out my candles. I stopped a few years ago, though; I'm not sure I could start again." Finn frowned, his eyes shining just a little bit.

"Maybe you _should _start again. Just to try." Kurt smiled, and patted Finn's arm. "Hey, how's the wrist coming along? Are you going to have the brace much longer?"

Finn lifted up the wrist in question, moving it around as best he could in the brace. "Eh, it's alright. It's obviously easier to drive in, but it still hurts sometimes. I can't wait to get it off, though. I don't want to have it during Nationals, Rachel says it throws off our ass-techs."

Kurt burst out laughing. "Oh, my god, Finn, it's 'aesthetics', not 'ass-techs'." He kept laughing.

"Hey, not cool, man! I don't always get what she says, I can't always understand her! You know how she is, all high-pitched and, and-"

"I'm allowed to make fun of you, Finn, you're my brother. Isn't that what you said last night when you made fun of me for spilling gravy all over my white cashmere sweater?" he laughed a little more, nudging Finn in the side.

"Yeah, sure. Just remember that next time I hear you on the phone with Blaine. 'Oh, Blaine, I miss you', 'Oh Blaine, you're such a good kisser', 'Oh, Blaine, I want you to fu'-" he was promptly shut up by a soft pillow slamming into his face.

* * *

Mondays sucked. It was a fact of life, but that Monday was worse than the others that Blaine had experienced. The tension between he and Kurt was so thick, you could cut it with a butter knife, and neither boy seemed keen on breaking it. Blaine still walked Kurt to and from his classes, and still sat with him at lunch. They still sat next to each other during Warbler's rehearsal, but other than a few polite words to each other, neither one really spoke.

Tuesday went much the same, although it did end with an awkward hug when Blaine dropped Kurt off at his dorm room that night.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Kurt." he gave a wistful smile to the taller boy, wanting nothing more than to pull him into a hug and kiss him senseless.

"Yeah, see you." Kurt shut the door, and hobbled over to his bed. When he dropped his bag on the floor, Nick looked up from the homework he was working on at his desk.

"What the hell is going on with you guys? Are you ever going to start talking again?"

* * *

"I don't know, Wes. He just seemed so... off, today and yesterday. He barely looks at me, and I don't know if I can fix this." Blaine covered his face with his hands and let out a groan.

"What have you said to him? You guys seem kind of cold to each other." Wes pointed out.

* * *

"He hasn't really said anything to me. I want to start talking to him again, I really do. I want things back the way they were before. If I had known that going to see Karofsky was going to do this, I wouldn't have gone." Kurt buried his head in his pillow, not wanting to face the real world at that moment.

"On some level, you _must _have known that something like this could happen. You told me that Blaine didn't want you to go, didn't you think he'd be pissed if he found out?" Nick seemed wary of asking the question.

* * *

"Yeah, I was mad. I'm not mad anymore, though! I just want my boyfriend back. I have to get started on that song for him, I have to do something tomorrow." He got up and retrieved his guitar from it's perch in the corner of the room.

"Why don't you just go see him right now? Just talk to him, Blaine. You make everything more complicated than it _actually_ is. " He rolled his eyes when Blaine started to pluck at the strings. "What's wrong with you, anyway?"

* * *

"There's just something about him, Nick. I can't walk away from him."

"Literally." Nick let out a snort of laughter.

"Oh, so funny." he shook his head. "No, seriously. He's so important to me. Even when we weren't together, he was the first thing I thought about when I got up in the morning, and the last thing on my mind when I went to sleep at night. I know it's cliche, but I care for him. A lot. I want to be in his life, and I want him to be in mine. And him not talking to me? It's killing me. I feel terrible about this weekend, but getting the silent treatment from him is making it a thousand times worse. I just wish he'd come to me." Kurt tried to ignore the wetness in his eyes. He'd already cried about Blaine that weekend, he wasn't going to do it again.

* * *

"_When you cry, I die..._"

"That's cheesy, Blaine." Wes threw a crumpled up piece of paper at his friend. "And lame, I might add."

* * *

"Why don't you do something for him? Show him that you're sorry?" Nick asked, genuinely confused. Why _did_ Blaine have to be the one to step up? Didn't Kurt already say that he was the one to screw up?

"You're right, Nick." He groaned. "I had an idea of what to do, but now I guess I know it's the right thing to do." he took a deep breathe, and thought to himself. '_I have to give him something that will seriously show how I feel._'

"Um, is this going to require me to leave the room at some point in time?" Nick asked, a little concerned at what craziness Kurt was thinking up.

"Yeah, sorry. Tomorrow night, around 7? After Warblers?" he thought an hour would give him enough time to get everything settled. "Actually, could you run me to the store after rehearsal? I have a few things I need to get." He blushed at the thought.

"Oh, god. Fine. Fine! But whatever it is you're thinking of doing, and I think I have a good idea of what that might be, think about it, hard, before you actually do something." Nick sighed.

"I will, Nick. I will." Kurt pulled off his blazer and tie, setting them on his nightstand. "Don't worry."

* * *

"You worry too much, Blaine. Just go see him tomorrow night, I'm sure everything will be fine." Wes turned on his laptop, practically desperate to do the English homework he hated, just to stop Blaine's moping and sad guitar songs.

"I should. Hey, do you know where my phone wen- Oh, there it is." He found it as it started beeping. "Oh, hey, it's a text from Kurt!" He said excitedly.

_Can you come over to my room tomorrow night? Around 7? I think we need to see each other. Please? - k_

Blaine smiled.

_Yeah, no problem. I may have something for you. Something good. :) - b_

* * *

_Yeah, no problem. I may have something for you. Something good. :) - b_

Kurt smiled; at least it looked like things were getting better. He blushed as he thought about his plans for the next evening, and sent another text.

_I have something for you, too. Something important, but good, too. See you tomorrow? - k_

He waited impatiently for another text from Blaine.

_Of course, sweetheart. I'm so glad you're talking to me. I really can't wait to spend some time with you tomorrow. I've got to do homework now, tho, so I'll ttyl. :* - b_

Kurt giggled with delight at the message.

_Night, Blaine. I wish I could kiss you goodnight. :* - k_

* * *

_Night, Blaine. I wish I could kiss you goodnight. :* - k_

Blaine grinned when he read the text from Kurt, and sent a quick 'good night' back to him. He really did have 'homework' to do; he had to finish writing his apology song for Kurt.

* * *

"Hey, gorgeous." Blaine smiled as he walked next to Kurt, swiftly taking his messenger back from him.

"Hey, yourself." Kurt blushed, and accepted the quick peck on the cheek from Blaine.

"How was your last class?" Blaine asked as they made their way toward the Dalton cafeteria for lunch. It being Wednesday, homemade lasagna was on the menu, so just about every student was rushing in that direction.

"It was alright. I couldn't entirely focus, though, to be perfectly honest with you." He ducked his head, careful to still keep an eye on where he was going.

"Why's that?" Blaine sounded concerned.

"I kept thinking about you coming over tonight. Nick will be out, just so you know, so you don't have to worry about him bothering us." He paused while Blaine opened the cafeteria doors, allowing Kurt to go first.

"That's cool. Wes would probably yell at me if I asked him to leave so we could have alone time. Actually, he'd probably yell at me, and then throw something at me. He's been awfully violent lately, have you noticed?"

The boys moved to their usual table, already filled with most of the other Warblers, and a few other students. Blaine helped Kurt into his seat as they continued their little small-talk, then kissed his boyfriend sweetly before running off to get food for the both of them.

* * *

"You know I'm sorry, don't you?" Jeff mumbled, his eyes averted from the dark-haired boy in front of him. He had begged Simon to skip lunch with him so that they could talk in his room.

"Not really. You say you're sorry, but you still did what you did." Simon crossed his arms in front of him and started pacing back and forth in front of Jeff's bed. "Come on, why the hell would you say _his_ name when _we_ are together like that? Especially doing what we were doing?" Simon was pissed, and Jeff couldn't really blame him.

"I didn't mean it. I swear to you, Simon, I never meant to. I wasn't even thinking, it just, it just happened! I never meant to hurt you." Jeff wanted to get up and wrap Simon in his arms, but he was too afraid of Simon's reaction to do so. "I wish I knew what to do to fix it." He whispered.

"You want to fix this?" Simon stood in front of the blonde sitting on the bed. "You think you can fix this?"

Jeff nodded.

"Okay, then. I'll tell you how you can fix this." Simon moved closer, and shoved Jeff back onto his bed. "I'll show you _exactly_ how you can fix this." He attached his mouth to Jeff's, kissing him harshly, nipping and sucking at his bottom lip.

Jeff couldn't contain the moan that bubbled up from his throat. "P-please, Simon, help me fix this." He clung to the boy above him, trying to let his body take over for him. If he could just let Simon take him, let Simon control him, then maybe he could fix his mistake.

Simon pulled up and straddled Jeff's lap, keeping a hand on his chest to keep him down. "You stay where you are, and I'll make sure you can repay me. You _do_ want to repay, me, don't you?" Jeff just nodded, whimpering lightly as Simon started to unbutton his shirt.

"Say it."

"I want to." Jeff shivered when his shirt was pulled off, and he saw Simon's hands move to his belt.

"Say it _all_, Jeff." Simon's cold hands yanked off the belt, not noticing (or caring) that he was a little rough.

"I'm sorry I hurt you. I'm sorry I said his name. I'm so sorry, I'm so sor-" Jeff stopped, his lips occupied with the task of kissing Simon, while the other boy's hands were busy pulling down his slacks and boxers.

"Turn around." a low growl sounded in his ear when Simon pulled away from his mouth. Jeff tried to comply quickly, but he apparently wasn't fast enough for Simon's liking; he found himself being turned around and shoved further up the bed, his ass on display for the boy behind him. "That's better." a quick swat to his upper thigh had Jeff groaning, but whether it was in pleasure or pain, he couldn't tell.

"S-Simon, please..." he trailed off. Jeff felt a hand on the pants around his ankles, pulling them off, leaving him naked except for his socks.

"Please, what?" he heard the nightstand drawer open, and knew what was coming next.

"Please, baby, make me feel good." Jeff moaned when he felt something cold and wet at his entrance, hissing when Simon's finger made it's way inside roughly; he wasn't going to be gentle, Jeff knew it.

"It's not about you feeling good today,_ Jeff_." he said it with venom in his voice. "This is about _me_. This is about what you said when you were with _me_." Another finger. He worked them in for a few seconds, stretching him slightly. Jeff's head was buzzing with pleasure, desperate to feel more.

"Do you have any idea how that felt?" Simon withdrew his fingers, leaving Jeff bent over double, pushing back on nothing but air. After lowering his zipper and pulling himself out of the constricting pants, he reached back into the drawer, and with practiced movement, covered himself with a condom.

"No, I, I don't." Jeff moaned when he felt Simon back at his entrance, waiting for the inevitable.

"It feels like _this_." Simon thrust into Jeff mercilessly, not letting him get used to the intrusion at all, then slapped his ass as hard as he could, sure to leave one hell of a mark. He bent over, dropping his face next to Jeff's, growling low in his throat. "You're _mine_, do you understand that?" He kept thrusting as hard has he could, slamming into the boy below him.

"Y-yes, Simon. God, yes." Jeff bucked backwards, trying to get Simon to fill him as much as possible.

"You're with _me_, you got that?" Simon leaned back again, pulling almost all the way out, and slamming back harder than before.

"_Simon_!" Jeff yelled, not expecting it to be that harsh.

"That's right, it's _Simon_, not _Kurt_!" Simon grunted. "It's Simon. Say it!" he kept pounding into Jeff, the sounds he was making going straight to his cock, making him thrust harder and harder.

"S-Simon, oh, god, _Simon_!" Both boys were so caught up in the heat of the moment, the intense feelings pulsing through their bodies, that they didn't notice the dorm room door open, revealing a stunned Eric.

"Oh, holy **shit**!" Eric shouted, dropping his black Nike backpack on his own foot. "Shit! Ow! Oh, my god!" he quickly covered his eyes as best he could, while Simon and Jeff scrambled for a blanket to cover themselves.

"Jesus Christ, Eric, get _out_!" Jeff squeaked, his face bright red with embarrassment.

"I'M GOING!" Eric fumbled around for his bag, then hurried out of the doorway and slammed it shut behind him.

"Oh, holy hell. I'm scarred. My eyes, oh, crap. I just..." Eric mumbled to himself, trying to get away from his dorm. One thing was for sure, though: Jeff was obviously not listening to his advice about trying to be single.

* * *

"So why is rehearsal canceled tonight?" Kurt asked Blaine as he led them toward Windsor.

"David got some pretty bad food poisoning, apparently, and it was just easier for the council to cancel for tonight. I mean, it's not like we really have anything to prepare for, except graduation." Blaine shrugged, opening the door for his boyfriend and allowing him to go through first.

"Makes sense, I guess. What are we supposed to do for graduation?" Kurt asked once they were in the warm elevator.

"Uh, it changes, depending on the year. Last year, the seniors decided they wanted "Time of Your Life" by Green Day."

"Ew." Kurt shuddered. "Could they have picked a more generic graduation song?"

"I know, right?" Blaine laughed, then followed Kurt to his room. "I'm not sure what we'll be doing this year, but I hope it's better than that."

"I would propose something from GaGa, but I know the council simply wouldn't approve." Kurt unlocked his door, and moved to go inside. Blaine handed him his backpack, and stepped back. "Hey, you _are_ coming back at 7, right?" he sounded a little nervous.

"Yeah, yeah. But only if you want me to..." he was uneasy, a little concerned that Kurt had changed his mind, and he wouldn't get to show him the sweet poem he was working on.

"Of course, Blaine, of course. So, um, I guess I'll see you at seven." He smiled, and gave Blaine a quick, but sweet kiss, and shut his door.

"See you, Kurt." Blaine whispered, mainly to himself, then walked to his room.

* * *

_Hushed confessions_

_Silent admissions_

_It makes me feel so..._

"Dammit!" Blaine slammed his pencil onto his notebook, causing Wes to jump in fright.

"What the hell, man?"

"Sorry, sorry! I just, I can't write this poem for shit. I have no real way to tell him how I feel!" Blaine was exasperated, and couldn't see the light at the end of the tunnel. He was positive that if he couldn't prove to Kurt just how he felt, he was going to leave him.

Wes got up off of his bed, and moved to sit next to his friend. "Blaine, dude, chill out." He wrapped an arm around his shoulder, and pulled him into a half-hug. "You'll be fine. Kurt doesn't need a big old song and dance, or even a little poem to show that you're sorry and you care about him. He knows that. But if you still think you need to do something, just tell him, straight off the bat, exactly how you feel. You keep talking about how you're shitty at romance, but I think if you're just honest with him, he'll believe you and you'll score major points."

"Wes." Blaine groaned. "I don't know, I just... I don't know." He dropped his head on Wes's shoulder.

"Man up, Blaine." Wes grinned, got up, and moved back over to his own bed. "Now, you might want to get ready and head over to Kurt's. It's already 6:30." A wide grin took over Wes's kind face, making him look slightly maniacal.

"Shit!"

* * *

"You gonna be okay, Kurt?" Nick asked, his arms full of his pillows and a blanket, his backpack (filled with his computer and homework) slung over his shoulder.

"Um, yeah. I think. Probably?" Kurt sighed. "I don't know, Nick." He turned around on his crutches, a little shaky, but still standing.

"It'll be fine. Just relax, he'll be here in a few minutes, anyway, right?" He glanced at his watch. "It's about 6:30."

"Oh my god! Get out! Nick, you have to leave!" He stumbled forward, all of a sudden freaking out. "Thank you so much for taking me to the store earlier, but you've got to get out now! I have to get everything ready, Nick!"

Nick laughed, but did as he was told. "Hey, just don't do anything, stupid, okay? If you need me, I'll either be down in the common room, or over with Max." He smiled, and left as Kurt waved him out.

"Six thirty. Okay, it's six thirty. I can do this." Kurt nodded to himself, and set to work.

* * *

By six fifty-eight that night, Kurt had everything prepared. Multiple candles were spread around the room, all lit and smelling faintly of vanilla and sugar. The main lights were all off, and soft, seductive music was playing. He had changed into a dark maroon sweater, and loose-fitting black slacks, with no shoes or socks (no real point, what with the cast and all). The only problem he had was _where to put the lube and condoms_... He only had one condom out of the package he had bought that day, and the bottle of lube was relatively small. He had first put them on top of his nightstand, but then changed his mind when he realized that he was basically putting them on display.

They then went on top of the nightstand to inside it, but then the thought it would be awkward to stop whatever it was they'd be doing (_oh god, was he ready for this?_) to take them out. He was holding them in his hand when he heard a knock at the door.

"Coming!" He yelled, almost tripping over his own crutches as he fumbled with the lube and condom. "Oh, crap. Crap!" He squeaked, but shoved them into his front left pocket.

"Kurt, babe, are you okay?" Blaine's concerned voice asked, but Kurt just opened the door, a flustered smile on his face.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm good. Will you, uh, come in?" Blaine just grinned, and stepped into the room.

"Of course I will." He kissed Kurt sweetly on the cheek, then looked around. "Wow, honey, it looks great in here. It smells really good, too. I take it Nick's been gone for a while? I don't smell pizza." he laughed a little, and Kurt joined in.

"No, no. Nick left a little while ago. He um, I don't think he'll be back tonight, so if you wanted to, you could stay here. With me." Kurt didn't look at Blaine when he said the last bit, so he didn't see Blaine's surprised face.

"M-maybe. Yeah, I could probably stay over tonight. I'd have to go back to my room and get some sweats, at least. But yeah." Blaine looked down at his hands, which Kurt took.

"Hey. Let's go sit down, okay?" Kurt's voice was low.

"Yeah, let's sit." Blaine sighed, and let go of Kurt's hands so that he could get to his bed. Blaine sat down in his regular spot (in the middle, Kurt usually sat at the top), and waited for his boyfriend to set down his crutches. He helped the taller boy sit down, and was about to speak when his lips were suddenly occupied.

Kurt tasted like mint, and cinnamon, and just a little bit like coffee. The kiss had started out a little sweet, but was quickly turning in to something a little bit more harsh, more _hungry_. Kurt moved his hands to rest on Blaine's shoulders, and pulled away for a breath. "Lay down with me." He whispered, afraid to be any louder.

"Okay, yeah." Blaine nodded. "Yeah." he helped Kurt lift his broken leg and get comfortable, and then laid himself next to his boyfriend, on the inside of the bed.

"You should keep kissing me." Kurt smiled, and Blaine complied. Their lips met again, a little slower than the last kiss, but no less passionate. Kurt let his hands wander down from Blaine's shoulders down to his hips, letting them rest on the waistband of his jeans. His own shirt had ridden up from moving down the bed, and all he wanted was to feel Blaine's skin on his. "Blaine?"

"Yeah?" Blaine answered, not letting his lips move from Kurt's. He _had_ planned on talking to Kurt, but this was alright, too.

"Baby, I want to feel you."

"Huh?" Blaine was confused.

Kurt started tugging on the hem of Blaine's shirt, letting him know what he meant. "This. Take this off." He let go, and started pulling at his own shirt, which Blaine (once he had taken his off), started helping with. Once the two shirts were off, Kurt pulled Blaine back down, sighing once skin touched skin. Kurt started kissing Blaine again, this time slow and steady, his chest coming up and rubbing against the shorter boy's.

They took their time kissing each other slowly, every once in a while moving from their mouths and marking their necks, leaving a few love bites on collarbones as well.

"You taste like, like apples, Kurt." Blaine growled against Kurt's chest, starting to suck and nip at the skin, trying his best to leave a trail of hickies wherever he went.

"It's a n-new body wash. Got it from Mercedes." Kurt's head fell back onto the pillow, his mind clouding with sensations of pleasure.

"Remind me to thank her." Blaine ducked his head farther, stroking Kurt's sides as he went.

"Blaine, Blaine, my pants. Please, just undo my pants." Kurt moaned, hips bucking up into Blaine's.

"What?" Blaine pulled back, confusion crossing his sweet face.

"My pants, Blaine." He looked up at the other boy, his eyes begging.

Blaine wasn't thinking properly, so he did as Kurt asked, and seconds later, Kurt's pants were undone, and well on their way to being shimmied off.

"Wait, hold on a sec." Kurt panted, slipping his hand into a pocket.

"Too fast?" Blaine asked, suddenly afraid of where this could all be going, but he kept his lips near Kurt's.

"No, baby, I just..." He pulled something out of his pockets, and held his hand out to Blaine. "We could um, we could use these. If you want." He was trying to keep his voice low, and seductive, but Blaine could tell that he was a little afraid. When he looked down at Kurt's hand, he realized why. A small bottle of KY lube, and a One condom were in his palm. Blaine jumped back, suddenly overwhelmed with what Kurt was apparently suggesting they do.

"What? Kurt, what are you saying here?" Blaine was bewildered. Was Kurt asking him to have _sex_ with him?

"We can have, you know..." Kurt shrugged, but his voice wavered. "We can have... sex." the last word was a whisper. "Don't you want to?" he looked up into Blaine's gold eyes, searching for something akin to desire.

"Kurt, Kurt, what brought this on? What's making you want to do this?" Blaine felt uneasy; had _he_ done something to make Kurt think this is what he wanted from him? Had _he_ said something, done something to do this to Kurt?

"Blaine, why aren't you telling me yes or no? Do you not want me like that?" He dropped the condom and lube onto the bed, and tried to reach for his shirt, but Blaine's strong arms held him in place; he couldn't move.

"Kurt, stop." Kurt struggled against him. "Stop! Just, baby, please, just listen to me!" he pleaded, desperate for Kurt to listen to what he had to say. Wes was right, he needed to just come out with it and tell Kurt how he felt; this was it.

"_What_, Blaine?" Kurt snarked, rolling his eyes at the boy holding him still. "If you want to reject me, just get it over with."

"Baby, sweetheart, no! I'm not rejecting you!"

"You basically just told me you didn't want to have sex with me, Blaine! That's a rejection if I ever heard one! Now let me go." He tried to pull away.

"Fine. Fine, I'll let you go." Kurt opened his mouth to speak. "But only if you agree to stay where you are, and let me talk to you." Blaine searched Kurt's face for any reluctance, and even though he found it, Kurt nodded and let Blaine keep going; he kept his word, and didn't move.

"Okay. Here's the deal: me saying 'no' to sex with you is not the same as me saying 'no' to _you_, alright?" Blaine spoke slowly and quietly, not wanting to upset the beautiful boy in front of him any more than he already had. "I want you. I do. I really, really do. Don't ever doubt that, okay? And yeah, I do mean that in more ways than one."

"Even, s-sexually?" Kurt stuttered over the word.

"Even sexually. Kurt, honey, you've got to understand, I think you're gorgeous." Kurt blushed, and ducked his head. "Hey, hey, look at me." Blaine nudged his face back up with his thumb, wanting to look into those shining eyes as he spoke. "You've got to realize that, okay? There are times when I look at you and just think, 'holy hell, is he really with _me_'?" they both chuckled a little. "I look at you and I see this strong, incredibly beautiful, incredibly _sexy_ man, and I'm blown away by just how much you affect me. I'm not gonna lie, Kurt, I _have_ thought about you in _that_ way." It was Blaine's turn to blush.

"Really?" Kurt raised an eyebrow.

"Really." Blaine leaned in for a kiss, if only to reassure them both that things were okay between them. "Believe me yet?" he asked once they had parted.

"Kinda." Kurt grinned, pulling him in for another kiss, this one a little more heated.

Blaine allowed the kiss to continue for a few moments, but pulled back once he felt himself getting a little too excited. "Hey, wait a second. We were talking."

Kurt sighed. "Fine." Blaine smiled at the adorable pout on his face.

"Do you want me to keep going on about everything I love about you, or do you want me to stop?" Blaine asked, trying to keep serious, but his smile giving everything away.

"No, keep going. I like hearing these things, even if I don't believe them." Blaine's heart broke a little at that.

"You don't get it, do you?" Blaine shook his head in bewilderment. "You don't see what I see when I look at you? God. I don't get how you can't! The things you do to me shouldn't even be _legal_. There are times I actually feel like I could melt with just the look in your eyes." Kurt rolled the eyes in question, making Blaine want to reiterate everything he was saying. "Take right now, for example." He took a long, lingering look at Kurt's pale chest, shadows from the candles flicking across it. "I can't help but want to throw you down on this mattress and fucking _worship_ your body, for as long as I can, until you're shaking in my arms and begging me to take care of you."

"B-Blaine?" Kurt's eyes widen; he obviously didn't have any idea that Blaine felt this way.

"Seriously." Blaine kissed him again, long and slow, but still just a little bit dirty. He took one of Kurt's hands, and moved it to his chest, just over his heart. "Do you feel that?"

Kurt nodded.

"Do you feel just how fast it's beating right now? It happens all the time when I'm with you. That's what you do to me, just from _being_ there. You make me fall apart." he sighed. "Kurt, you have _got_ to believe me when I say that, yes, I _do_ want to have sex with you eventually. But not right now. Right now, it's too soon. Right now, there are too many things going on, and I don't want this to be some sort of apology, or forgiveness thing. If we do this, _when_ we do this, I want it to be because we're in love, and we _both_ want it for the _same_ reasons. Kurt, I don't want to just lose my virginity to you. I want to _give_ it to you. And I want you to do the same, but only if you want to. This has to be about both of us making a decision, together. Okay? Do you get why I said 'no' now?" He searched Kurt's face for understanding, and he knew he saw it when Kurt smiled at him.

"Yeah. Yes, Blaine, I do. I get it." He sighed. "I, I want the same thing. I want to give my virginity to you. No one else. Just you." Kurt moved so he could rest his head on Blaine's shoulder. "It was always just you."

"Same here." Blaine kissed the top of Kurt's head.

"But, Blaine?" Kurt asked.

"Yeah?" He wondered what else was on Kurt's mind.

"That doesn't mean we have to stop making out, right?"

Blaine laughed, happy that the awkwardness was over. "No, of course not. Making out shall commence at once." He laughed once more, then moved to lay next to the tall boy next to him. Their lips met again, and even though neither boy would say it, they both knew that that night had changed pretty much everything for them; for the better.

* * *

"You awake over there, Jeff?" Eric waved his hand in front of his roommate's face.

"Huh?" Jeff shook his head a little, trying to focus. "Yeah, yeah, I'm good. Sorry, just zoning out a little." He turned his attention from Kurt and Blaine across the cafeteria, where the two were being sickeningly couple-y, and focused on his salad lunch.

"Whatever, man. Hey, I've got to get going, I have a makeup test in my next hour. I'll see you later, alright?" Eric got up, and made his way out of the crowded room, leaving Jeff sitting alone at the small table. Simon wasn't there, and Jeff honestly couldn't be bothered to find out where he was. Instead of staying in his seat, Jeff got up and left the room as well; he couldn't stand to watch Kurt and Blaine act like an old married couple.

Sure, he and Simon were supposedly together, or so he thought. They hadn't really discussed what was going on between them, and had just been having non-stop sex over the last two days. Simon had sent him a text message to meet him that afternoon in his dorm room, though why, Jeff had no idea. He couldn't help but think as he wandered the halls, just how different his relationship with Simon was compared to what he could see of Kurt and Blaine's. With Kurt and Blaine, it seemed, it was all about small, sweet, innocent touches, and longing glances between the two of them. It was about romance, and probably love, even though they hadn't been together long. They would kiss each other when they thought no one was looking, hold hands when they sat together in class or at lunch, and when they weren't together, if you mentioned the other one's name, the boy you were talking to would visibly perk up.

When Jeff thought about him and Simon, he couldn't help but be a little jealous of what Kurt and Blaine had. Sure, the first time around, they were that sweet, innocent couple, even if it was kept relatively under wraps. They would text each other sweet things, like "_I love your laugh, it makes me just want to kiss you_", and "_You make me so happy. I can't believe I found you._". It was nice, Jeff thought, back then. Back when they were each other's first love, and everything was new, and fun, and exciting. He had gotten to his class when his phone buzzed with the arrival of a new text message, and he blushed visibly when he read it.

_Come to my room as soon as you get done with your 6th hour. I want to fuck you into the mattress. - Si_

Well. It looked like that Friday afternoon would be a continuation of the last two days, and Jeff wasn't exactly sure how he felt about that.

* * *

"Dave?" A quiet voice asked from the hospital door.

"Yeah, Dad?" he responded, a bit quietly. The doctor had spoken to his parents out in the hall, and he couldn't wait to hear what he had to say.

"How are you doing today?" His dad asked awkwardly, coming in to sit down in the chair by his bed.

"I'm alright. My arm still hurts a little, but I feel better. What did the doctor say?" He knew that if he was being released from the hospital, he'd go straight back to the juvenile detention center, and at that moment, he wasn't sure which place was going to be worse.

"He says you'll make a full physical recovery." He paused. "But, Dave, he _did_ say that they want to keep you here a little longer, just to keep an eye on you. They... They're worried that you'll try to do this again." Paul didn't have to say it, Dave knew his dad was afraid, too.

"Dad, I won't. I swear to you, I won't." He looked over at his father, who looked absolutely wrecked. The last month or so had been hell on his family, and he felt so guilty over it. His little sister had even started becoming more withdrawn, more introverted, and it worried him that he had caused all this.

"Dave, son, you have to understand, you really scared us. You-" his voice hitched, "you could have _died_. It's one thing for us to see you behind bars, which is terrible enough, but to lose you forever? To have to go to your funeral? Do you have any idea what that would have done to us?" Paul reached out for his son's hands, needing to touch him, to reassure himself that he was still there, still alive. "We only ever wanted you to be happy. Where did we go wrong?"

Dave's heart broke. "Dad, no, no! You didn't go wrong at all, it's me, all me. I screwed up, I screwed up so much, and I can't apologize enough. Please, don't blame yourself." He held back the tears that threatened to fall. The two men just stared at each other for a few minutes, neither one wanting to say anything that would make things worse, but Paul had to ask at least one question.

"Son, your, uh... Your mother told me something. Something that I think we need to talk about. I know she hasn't told you about this yet, but I think it's serious enough that we need to discuss it before any big decisions are made." He took a deep breath. "Your mother spoke to someone at a place called 'Helping Hands'. It's um, a group that does what they call 'conversion therapy'."

Dave felt the blood rush from his head; he started feeling dizzy, numb, disconnected from his body. "Conversion therapy? Wh-what _kind_ of conversion therapy?" He already had an idea, but he had to know. He had to know what his mother was trying to do.

"They specialize in, well, in gay-to-straight conversions." Paul couldn't look at his son.

"...What?" Dave whispered, and jerked his hands away from his father's. "Gay to _what_?" he started to raise his voice. "No, no way in hell, Dad!" Dave's breath was becoming shallow, his vision blurred. "What is this? Are you and Mom trying to what, make me _straight_?"

"No! Dave, just listen!" Paul stood up, his voice and eyes pleading with his son to just relax, to calm down. "Davie, it was just an idea that your mother had. I wouldn't make you do this, not if you didn't want to. I'm completely fine with you as you are, okay? I don't care if you're gay, Dave! I really don't! You're my son, my only son, my _perfect_ son! I love you, and I don't want you to change if you don't want to." He quieted down, not wanting to draw attention from the guard outside the room.

Dave now had tears streaming down his face, and was starting to shake. He had no idea that his father felt this way about him way, and that his mother had been planning on trying to change him. "Dad?" He asked, his voice shaking. "Dad, don't make me do that. Please, don't make me. I'll do anything, I swear, anything! I'll go to jail for as long as they make me, but please, don't make me do that, that _conversion_ thing!"

At that, Paul couldn't help it; he rushed toward his boy, taking him in his arms like he used to when he was a small child. "No, no, of course not. Of course not, Davie. I love you the way you are, I won't make you do this. Never."

* * *

"We need to talk about this." Paul said later that night, sitting in bed with his wife.

"About what, dear?" Judith turned the page in the little brochure she was reading, her little reading glasses perched on her slightly red nose.

"About this, conversion thing. I talked to Dave about it today, and he said he didn't want to do it." Paul tried to sound strong, convincing. He knew his wife usually got her way, but there was no way he was going to let her do this to their son.

"Paul, sweetheart, _we're_ the parents. I don't think he should really get a say in this. After all, sweetheart, he did hurt those other boys pretty badly. He's going to be in jail, and we have to accept that. If we can stop him from being... _that_ way, then maybe his life will be a little easier when he gets out." She nodded to herself, highlighting a phrase that struck her as significant to their situation.

"Judith, I really don't want to do that to him. I know just as well as you that life is harder for gay people than for straight people, but do you really think that trying to change that part of him is going to make life any _easier_?" He couldn't believe that his wife was honestly saying these things.

"Yes, Paul, I do. And you know what?" She let the brochure drop to her lap, along with the highlighter. "I think you're actually making this worse. Telling him it's okay that he's this way? You know it's not. You know what happens to people like... people like _him_!" She raised her voice, something she rarely did.

"People like _him_? Your own son? _Our_ own son? You're not even acting as his parent right now, Judith, you're acting like his owner." Paul shook his head. "I love our son. I love Dave more than you know. I love him as a straight kid, a gay kid... Hell, I'd love him if he decided he wanted a sex change!" He stood up from the bed, frowning more as he heard his wife gasp.

"A sex change? Paul, what on earth are you-"

"No! No, that's it! Right now, Judith, right now you are going to make a decision. Either you love our son as he is, the amazing kid that we've raised, and you stay here, stay with us, and stay with him, or you leave. I can't be married to someone who doesn't love her own child as he is. I can't." He couldn't believe what he had just said. Had he just told his wife it was over between them?

"What?" her voice was quiet, and she sounded on the verge of tears. "What? How did, how did this happen? Since when was this about _leaving_ each other?" She got up from the bed, too, and moved to stand in front of her husband. "What is this?"

Paul stepped away from her, not wanting to be touched by the woman who had tried to change their son. "Don't touch me, please. Not right now." He sighed, and she took a step back. "I don't want you to leave. I love you. Judith, I love you more than I thought I could love anyone. But our son is in a lot of trouble right now. He's confused, and scared, and hurt, and he made a huge, _massive_ mistake. He hurt those other boys, could have _killed_ one of them. That's our doing. We've already screwed up with him, and I'm just afraid that by telling him that he's wrong for loving who he loves, for wanting to be with other men, that we're going to make it worse. We should have been there from the beginning, telling him that we loved him no matter what. We should have been listening to what he was saying, to what he _wasn't_ saying. You _know_ that. If we had paid more attention, if we had been more accepting, then maybe this wouldn't have happened. What happened to the Hummel boy? It comes down to us." He took a deep breath, and ran a hand through his thinning, graying hair. "It comes down to what we've taught him. What we allowed him to do."

"No, no, Paul, that's not-" Judith reached out for her husband, who pushed her hand away.

"Yes!" he sighed, exasperated, and feeling like shit. He knew that in the end, it came down to the parents. "We should have noticed. But we were too caught up in our lives, in our own messes, to see what was happening with our son. And if you think that for one second, for one measely little second, that I'm going to let you try and change him by forcing him into a program that's going to make him feel worse about himself, then you're not my wife. Then you're not the woman I married." He closed his eyes. "The woman I married loved her kids just the way they were. The woman I married wouldn't do this."

"Paul..." Judith croaked out, her voice completely broken.

He opened his eyes, and looked at the small woman in front of him. Judith had aged gracefully over the years, her figure still close to what it was when they were first married, her eyes still bright and young, and her hair, though graying, was still beautiful. The more he looked at her, though, the more it hurt him to hear what she wanted to do.

"No. Not, not tonight. For tonight, I'm going to sleep on the couch. Tonight, I want you to think long and hard about what you want from me, what you want from this marriage, and what you want from our son. If you come to your senses, and realize that his happiness and well-being is more important than his damn sexual orientation, then you can come to me. Then we'll talk. Then we'll focus on him, and Angie, and making this family work. Until then? Leave me alone." With that, Paul picked up his pillow and made his way downstairs, leaving his bewildered and crying wife standing alone in their bedroom. When he curled up on the couch, pulling the old plaid blanket on top of himself, he could have swore he heard Judith sobbing, but he made himself roll over and try to sleep. He could only hope that she'd wise up, because as much as he hated what she was doing, he really didn't want to lose the love of his life.

* * *

"What am I doing?" Jeff mumbled to himself. He was pacing in front of Simon's door, debating on whether he should knock or not. He had spent the better part of his afternoon classes thinking about Simon, and what was going on between the two. He felt like he was being pulled in a direction he really didn't want to go, but had no choice. Simon was his first love, the first person he had really opened himself up to, no pun intended. He was the person he used to dream about, all the time, but he was also the person who was treating him more like a sex toy than a boyfriend, and he wasn't sure how to deal with that. He was about to turn and walk down the hall, out the building, and drive straight home, when he heard a _click_, and the door in front of him opened, revealing a half-naked Simon, covered only in a dark red towel, wrapped around his waist. He hardly had time to react before Simon's hand grabbed his collar and dragged him inside and slammed the door.

"You showed." Simon growled in Jeff's ear, his hands working quickly to unbutton his shirt. "I wasn't sure you would." He pulled the shirt off, and started licking and biting Jeff's tender neck.

"I, I'm here, though, aren't I?" Jeff answered, his legs shaking when he felt his pants unzip.

"Are you?" Simon mouthed at Jeff's earlobe, his breath hot, making Jeff shudder.

"What do you mean?"

"Look at yourself right now." Simon pulled away, gesturing to the boy standing in front of him. "I mean, come on. By now you'd usually have pulled this towel off of me, and be begging me to fuck you. You'd be on your knees, grabbing at my cock. Now look at you!" he sneered. "You're just standing there, letting me touch you, but you're not reciprocating _anything_. You're not even touching me when I kiss you, your hands are at your side!" He turned suddenly from the shocked boy in front of him.

"Simon, please, I-" Jeff started, sounding weak.

"You know what, Jeff?" Simon turned back around, fire in his eyes. "You need to make a choice."

Jeff took a step back, hitting the tv stand by the door. "What kind of a choice?" he asked.

"You have to decide if you really want to be with me or not. Every time we're together, you complain. Either I'm not attentive enough, or I'm touching you too much. I never know what you want me to do! I love you, Jeff, I've told you that. I want to be with you, but if you can't fucking make up your mind when it comes to something as simple as what you want from me, then I can't deal with this."

Jeff could only stare, open-mouthed, at the half-naked boy in front of him. "So what exactly do you want me to do?" He shook his head, trying to figure out what Simon was saying. "Are you telling me that our relationship is up to me? That I have to choose if I want this or not?" He wasn't sure he could handle this.

"That's exactly what I'm saying." Simon moved farther away from Jeff, knowing that if they were closer together, he wouldn't be able to help himself; he'd have to touch him. "I already told you how I feel about you. Now it'syour turn to figure out how _you_ feel about _me_."

"Simon, I lov-" Jeff started, but was cut off by a snort.

"Stop, Jeff, just stop it! You tell me you love me, you told Kurt you loved him, who's next, Eric?"

"What the hell?" Jeff sounded thoroughly upset. "I told you I loved you because I actually did! You were the first person I loved, the onl-"

"Get out." Simon growled.

"What?" Jeff's eyebrows drew in, his jaw dropping a little.

"You heard me." He stalked over to the door, flinging it open. "Leave. Come back, or call, or text, or _whatever_, but only once you've decided what you want. This is it, Jeff. So get out, and make a decision. I don't want to hear from you until you do."

Jeff stumbled a bit, but he made his way to the open door. "Are you sure this is what you want, Simon?" he asked quietly.

"Yeah. This is what I want. It's what we need, alright? So you go now, and don't come back until you know _for sure_ what you want." He leaned in, and gave Jeff a small kiss on the lips; chaste, sweet, and just a little bit bitter. "Bye, Jeff."

Jeff turned slowly, and walked out of Simon's dorm. It seemed as though he had some serious thinking to do that weekend, and he wasn't looking forward to any of it.

* * *

"So when will Burt and Carole be home?" Blaine asked that Friday night, as the two boys sat cuddled up on the large, plush sofa in Kurt's living room.

"Um, I'm not entirely sure. They said they should be back later tonight, but they never gave me an exact time. I'm thinking they did that on purpose, though, so we don't get up to any 'funny business'." Kurt rolled his eyes and leaned into Blaine's chest.

"Nice." Blaine wrapped an arm over Kurt's front, pulling him closer. "So how long will Finn and the rest of the glee club be in New York?" He tried to keep his tone even, not wanting to rile up his boyfriend over talk of Nationals.

"Um, I'm not really sure. Their return tickets are open-ended, I think, since there are three levels to Nationals." He turned down the volume on the tv, making Debbie Reynolds into a silent actress for the time being.

"Levels? I don't really know too much about what happens at the Nationals level." Blaine burrowed his head into Kurt's shoulder, breathing in the smell he'd come to love.

"Well, you've got the first day, which is the first level, obviously. That day is everyone performing, at separate times, starting at 7 in the morning. Each group only gets one song, so they've really got to show how good they are. I think they've got three or four groups performing at once, in different parts of the building. Not sure, but I think that's what Finn said." He sighed, and closed his eyes, noticing that Blaine was leaving little kisses on his neck and shoulder.

"Mmhmm." Blaine mumbled. "Go on." He loved the sound of Kurt's voice, something he could never get enough of.

"Then, I think on the second day, the people that were selected on day one end up going on to the second level." He kept his eyes closed, revelling in the feel of Blaine's lips tracking along the collar of his shirt.

"And the third day?" Blaine's voice was so quiet, Kurt felt more than heard what he said.

"Oh, come _on_, Blaine, seriously? You should know exactly what happens on the third day." He tried to turn himself over. "Help me here, baby. I'd rather make out with you than talk about my brother and the New Directions."

Blaine chuckled, and moved so that he could help Kurt get into a better position to make out. "Whatever you want, babe. Whatever you want." A wide grin took over his features; that Friday was going to be great.

* * *

"_I like you, Jeff." Simon was holding Jeff's hands in his own, trying to ignore just how sweaty his palms were getting. "I like you a lot."_

"_Yeah?" Jeff grinned, his heart leaping in his chest._

"_Yeah." He cleared his throat, and moved a little on the leather seat."Um, I kind of have a question for you."_

"_What is it?" Jeff was grateful they were somewhere comfortable (the Windsor common room), since he was so nervous._

"_I know this is probably seriously lame, but, um, I'm pretty nervous right now, so I'm thinking that I'm not making any sense." Simon laughed a little, pleased that Jeff was at least smiling at him, a hopeful look on his face._

"_It's okay, Simon, just say what it is you need to say." He squeezed the other boy's hand._

"_Alright, uh..." he took a deep breath. "canikissyouplease?" it all came out in a rush._

"_What?" Jeff could barely understand him._

"_I asked if I could kiss you..." he was looking anywhere but at Jeff, so he was surprised when the other boy leaned in close, his lips millimeters away from his. He gasped, but stayed still._

"_Yeah, you can kiss me." Jeff whispered, and then finally let their lips meet. This, he thought, was was kissing should feel like._

* * *

Jeff rolled over in his bed, trying to remember what that first kiss with Simon felt like. He ran his fingers over his lips, lips that had very rarely been unattached to another person.

* * *

_Jeff felt warm hands run up his sides, tickling him a little. He kept his eyes closed, a slight smile on his face as he just __**felt**__. Simon's lips soon joined his hands, feeling like heaven against the bare skin on his chest. He startles, though, when those lips and hands reach the top of his jeans._

"_Jeff?" a throaty voice reverberates off his flat stomach, and his eyes shoot open. "Jeff, are you okay with this? Are you ready?"_

_He can't do anything but stare, his heart pounding more than he thought it could, as he realizes just what Simon is asking for. They've done so much already, so many things that have pushed them over the edge. They've touched, licked, thrusted against, and just about everything else, but the one thing they haven't done, that's what Simon is asking for._

"_Yes." it's quiet, but it's there. Jeff nods his head, and takes a deep breath. "I'm ready, Simon. I want this."_

* * *

He remembers every bit of that night. He remembers just how it felt, Simon fully inside him that first time. He remembers the sounds; the unattractive grunts, skin slapping on skin, the murmured words that made no sense at the time. He remembers what it was like afterward, too.

* * *

"_I love you." The two boys were wrapped around each other, legs intertwined, chests plastered to each other in a mess of sweat and cum. It wasn't pretty, but it was them, and Jeff couldn't have been happier with what Simon was saying._

"_I love you, too." Jeff smiled a little, really holding himself back; he didn't want to ruin the 'moment'._

"_I know that you have to go soon, but I really don't want you to." Simon pouted._

"_I don't want to go, either." Jeff sighed. "But I really do have to get going. My mom's expecting me home soon, Dad'll be back from his trip, and I have to play 'perfect son'." His smile was gone._

"_Don't. Stay here. You're just going to have a terrible time, you know that. Call your mom, tell her that the snow is too bad, that I can't give you a ride home. We live too far from your house anyway, she'll believe you." Simon was pleading with him, desperation in his eyes. "Please, Jeff. After what we just did? I don't want you to go yet. I love you too much to watch you leave so soon."_

_Jeff just looked at Simon for a few seconds, amazed that this gorgeous, dark-haired, practically perfect boy was asking him to stay, was telling him how much he __**loved**__ him. Screw his family. He needed __**this**__ instead._

* * *

That night was as close to perfect as it could get for him. All the love he felt for Simon, and all the love he felt _from_ Simon... It was a dream come true for him.

* * *

"_It's over, Eric." Jeff was sitting on his bed, clutching a pillow that smelled strongly of Simon's cologne. He sobbed into it, feeling the pieces of his heart falling and shattering._

"_I'm so sorry, Jeff. I'm sorry." Eric was next to him, one arm over his shoulder, just being there while he cried over Simon._

"_He, god, Eric, he said he __**loved**__ me!" Another fresh sob, and Jeff buried his face in the dark red pillow._

"_I think he did, man. I just think his mom's being a bitch. You know that if he really had a choice in all this, he'd choose you. I __**know**__ he'd choose you." Eric rubbed his back, waiting for him to surface for air._

"_I gave him everything. I... Eric, I slept with him. I lost my virginity to him. Every last bit of me, I gave to him!" He held tighter to the pillow, afraid to let it go. It was the only thing in his room that was keeping him from completely falling apart, from dropping to the ground and screaming._

* * *

He didn't know that heartbreak could quite feel like that. Jeff threw the blankets off of himself, and jumped from the bed. He got to his computer desk and turned on his laptop, intent on sending Simon a message telling him exactly what he wanted, and why. Love was something, he had realized, that didn't make sense. It made no sense for him to fall for the closeted boy who was probably one of the most popular kids at Dalton. It made no sense for him to kiss him after their first date.

It made no sense that just a year later, he would be coming on to Kurt Hummel, a boy so extraordinary that Jeff just _knew_ he'd not be able to handle. it made absolutely no sense for him to think that Kurt could ever be his, not when he obviously was madly in love with Blaine.

Once his computer finished firing up, he opened his gmail account, and started to write.

**Simon:**

**I love you. That is probably the most important thing I've realized since we last talked. But I don't know if it's enough. Maybe we can...**

* * *

**Next: Things are coming to a head for a few people; how are they going to cope? Will Kurt get dragged into more of a mess than he's willing to deal with?**


	19. The Confrontation

****No excuses, guys. None at all. I could say it's been work, family, friends, or anything else that's kept me away, but it's plain and simple: writer's block.  
This is the 19th chapter, and this story will end with chapter 25. It's summer, my job(s) will allow for some writing time, so hopefully I'll get the chapters out at least every other week. Thanks for being loyal readers, I do love all of you. - D

Also, if anyone has any ideas for a book cover for this story, I would _love_ to hear it.

* * *

**Simon:  
I love you. That is probably the most important thing I've realized since we last talked. But I don't know if it's enough. Maybe we can figure out how to be friends, because honestly... I don't think I can do this anymore. I love you, you have to know that. I mean, you were my first. I'm pretty sure I'll always love you, but it's not enough right now. It's not enough for me to love you, for you to love me. A real relationship takes more than that, and I'm not prepared to give you any more than just my love.  
**

**I know you're going to be pissed when you get this. And I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry, Simon, but you have to know that I never wanted to hurt you in all this.**

**I was thinking, just a few minutes ago, about what you and I have been through. Our first relationship with each other was so short, but so amazing, and so passionate. We were there for each other, we **_**loved**_** each other. We spent so much time together, I'm surprised we got good enough grades to pass. I'm surprised our lips didn't fall off with all the kissing we were doing.**

**Fuck. I don't even know what I'm saying anymore. I keep telling you how amazing things were with us, and how much I love you, but... God. We can't keep doing this. We can't be together. I'm sorry, Simon, I'm **_**so**_** sorry. Maybe it was Kurt breaking up with me because of what we did, maybe that was my wake-up call. Maybe Kurt helped me see that I don't need to be in a relationship to be happy. I can't go around in a relationship with you, Simon, if I couldn't even commit to Kurt for a few months.**

**I'm sorry, Simon. I can't be with you. I'll give you some time, some space, but I do want to be your friend eventually. Please, forgive me for this.**

**- Jeff**

* * *

Jeff pressed 'send', and then let out a sigh of relief. He did it. He told Simon that they were over. True, he could have been a bit more eloquent, but he just wanted to get his emotions out there. It didn't take him too long to get up from the computer (he would have waited there for hours for Simon's reply) and get to his cell phone next to his bed. After sending a quick text message to Eric, he snatched up his car keys and left his room. Surely some Ben & Jerry's would help his mood immensely.

* * *

Eric hated when Jeff would text him on the weekends; it was always about stupid, trivial little things that didn't matter, but when he read what Jeff sent him that night, he decided not to yell at him the next time he saw him.

_broke up w/Si. now u can show me how to b single, since ur so good at it! lol - jeff  
ps- i'm ok_

* * *

When Kurt woke up that Sunday morning, he was pleased to find that Blaine was still at his house, still in his bed. He glanced at his alarm clock before deciding it was time for them to wake up, and maybe he'd show Blaine how to cook a real pancake breakfast.

"Wake up, sleepyhead." He whispered into Blaine's ear, regretting it when he realized he probably had morning breath.

Blaine didn't exactly respond, he just mumbled, and rolled into Kurt's chest, snuggling closer.

"Come on, Blaine. It's after ten thirty in the morning, baby, you've got to get up." Kurt laughed a little at how clingy his boyfriend could be when he first woke up.

"Mmhmm." he burrowed his face into Kurt's neck, and Kurt had to forcibly stop himself from shuddering at how good it felt to have him that close.

"Blaine."

"No." He sighed, and Kurt couldn't stop the moan and rather physical reaction he had when Blaine's warm breath on the curve of his neck.

"B-Blaine..."

"Yes?" The curly-haired boy was starting to wake up, and was thoroughly enjoying the sounds Kurt was making.

"We, we've got to get up." Kurt was finding it increasingly difficult to focus now that Blaine's lips were traveling up and down his tender neck.

"Five minutes?" Blaine asked, nipping a little at Kurt's earlobe.

"Five." Kurt turned his head and kissed his boyfriend, not really giving a damn about morning breath at that moment. He felt one of Blaine's hands travel up his side, the other pressed flat against Kurt's chest. He started to roll onto his back, trying to pull Blaine on top of him, when a loud knock at the door made Blaine jump away from him.

"What is it?" Kurt yelled out, trying to keep his voice even.

"Kurt, your brother's on the phone! You have 60 seconds to get up and out of that bed before I come in there and throw the phone at you!" Burt Hummel's voice had the effect of ice cold water on both boys, and within seconds, they were both out of the bed. Blaine helped Kurt lift up his broken leg, and sure enough, after one minute was up, Kurt's dad opened the door.

"You decent?" Burt asked, one hand over his eyes, the other holding the phone.

"Yes, dad. Now give me the phone!" Kurt rolled his eyes, and Blaine just snickered.

"Alright, alright. Here ya go." He walked over to the bed, noticing that both of the boys were on top of the covers, and both of them were fully clothed.

Kurt snatched the phone out of his dad's hand, then shooed him out of the room; Burt just laughed and did as he was expected. "Finn?"

"Yeah, Kurt?" Finn sounded a little wary.

Blaine moved up the bed a bit, opening his arms so that Kurt could nestle in, which he did. "How was it? Did you get past the first round? What did you sing? How is everyone?" He barely breathed inbetween questions, making his brother laugh.

"We're good, man. I mean, as good as we can be right now, I guess. We made it past the first round, but we got 4th place in the second round, and they only let the top two move on. It sucks, but at least we made it that far." Kurt could practically hear Finn's shrug.

"That's true, I guess. What did you guys sing?" He closed his eyes as Blaine started to massage his sides, softly and slowly, but just enough that Kurt basically melted into the boy behind him.

"Um, the first round, we sang more original songs. You know that one I was working on? 'Pretending'? We sang that one first, then we did the one that Santana and Puck wrote, 'Light Up The World'. I think Mr. Schue recorded it, so we'll show you when we get home."

"I'd like that. And I'm guessing the fact that you had original songs helped you get into the 2nd round?" Blaine had started kissing the spot below Kurt's earlobe, making breathing a difficult task. He swatted at his boyfriend, trying to get him to back off, but it wasn't working; Blaine was persistent.

"Yeah, at least that's what Rachel thinks. She also-"

"What do I think?" Kurt heard a shrill voice, getting louder and louder. "Is that Kurt? Let me talk to him." Finn started grumbling, but the phone obviously passed hands, because seconds later, the one and only Rachel Berry was talking to him. "Hi, Kurt! How are you doing? I'm doing well, I suppose. I'm sure Finn told you why we didn't make it past the second round? Well, let me tell you why just in case he didn't. He and Mr. Schuester decided to-"

"Rachel!" Kurt interrupted. "Rachel, breathe. Calm down. Give me the chance to answer your questions."

Blaine chuckled into his neck, amused by Kurt's reaction to the short brunette girl.

"To answer your first question, I am fine. I'm a little sore, and I can't wait for the damn cast to get off, but I'm good. As to your second question, no, Rachel, Finn did not tell me why you didn't make it past the second round, but I would love to know more." He kept his eyes closed, somehow able to keep calm and not snap at his friend. He assumed that having Blaine's lips attached to his neck helped quite a bit.

"Well. Okay then. We had only written those two original songs, as you might know, but we used them both up during the first round. When we went into the second round, Mr. Schuester and Finn decided that we should sing a mashup of 'Do You Think I'm Sexy' and 'I'm Sexy And I Know It', which backfired terribly, of course. I don't know what they were thinking, honestly, because what kind of judge would be alright with high school students singing about sexiness? It was wildly inappropriate, if you ask me." She took a deep breath, and started to speak again, but Kurt interrupted.

"Um, Rachel? Do you remember the first assembly we ever did at school? And how you changed the song we were doing from 'Le Freak' to 'Push It'?" Blaine detached himself from Kurt, and made a confused (but slightly turned on) sound. Kurt turned around slightly, and mouthed 'explain later'.

"Well, it worked didn't it? We got attention!" She sounded affronted, and Kurt could picture her standing there, a hand on her hip.

Blaine started kissing Kurt's neck again, paying closer attention this time to what Kurt was saying.

"Yeah, and we got into trouble. Or do you not remember that?"

"Oh, hush. We got notoriety, and that's what matters. Anyway, as I was saying, if I had my way, we would have been doing a medley of different Barbra songs, focusing mainly on me, of course. I mean, if we had done that, we would have surely gone on to wi-" Kurt heard a shriek, a thud, and an 'ow!', but then another, deeper voice was on the other end of the phone.

"Hey, Kurt. What's up, dude?" Puck's unmistakeable voice came across the line, confusing him for a minute.

"Noah?" Kurt tried to sit up, but found himself unable to, due to the strong arms wrapped around his middle.

"It's 'Puck', dude. Don't call me that. But whatever, yeah, it's me. Who else did you think would get Berry off the phone? I just had to pick her up and hand her off to Gigantor. She bit me, but I think it'll heal. Besides, chicks dig scars."

"Okay..." Kurt was confused. Why on earth would Puck want to talk to him? Sure, they were friendly to each other, but they weren't particularly close.

"I bet you're wondering why I wanted to talk to you." His voice was quieter, and he could hear the sounds of the rest of the glee club fading away.

"Well, yes, actually." Kurt tried to sit up again, but Blaine tightened his grip, and burrowed into Kurt's neck, a content sigh escaping.

"Alright, here's the deal. I know I was a dick to you before, and I've already apologized about it, but I wanted to tell you..." he paused, and Kurt wasn't sure what Puck was going to say. "I wanted to say that you're my bro, man. I've got your back. And it sucks that you aren't here, you know? I mean, we would have won Nationals if we had you back on our team. It sucks that you had to leave, and I wish you didn't have to."

Kurt was stunned into silence; he had never expected that from Puck. Puck was the self-appointed 'bad-ass' of the school, the guy who used to lead the pack in the dumpster tosses, and he even admitted the pee balloons was his idea. He knew that Puck had changed, of course, but he didn't expect this.

"Wow, Puck, I don't... I don't know what to say." This time Blaine let him sit up, concerned as to what Puck had apparently said.

"Don't worry about it, bro. I just wanted you to know. Now if you tell anyone I said any of that? I'll totally kick your ass. Or photoshop a picture of you with farm animals. Get that?" He tried to be intimidating, but Kurt knew he'd never do it.

"Of course." Kurt grinned. "Is that it?"

"Yeah, whatever. Here's Finn again. Remember, keep your mouth shut, alright?"

Kurt didn't have time to respond before his brother was back on the phone. "Holy cow, man, it's crazy here. I wanna tell you more about Nationals, but I gotta go, Mr. Schue needs us all on the bus. We're going back to the hotel, then going sight-seeing. I'll bring you back something! Love you, man!"

"Love you too, Finn!" Kurt barely finished his sentence before Finn hung up. He dropped the phone onto the bed beside his leg, and snuggled back into Blaine.

"So, how is the New Directions gang?" Blaine asked, nuzzling Kurt's neck, and peppering it with little kisses.

"Oh, just dandy. They didn't get past the second round, but they'll be fine. I don't really care right now, though."

"Why not?" Blaine pulled away, and Kurt turned to look at him.

"Um, maybe because you keep kissing my neck? And running your hands down my sides? You can't keep your hands off me."

"Do, do you want me to stop?" Blaine didn't know if Kurt was irritated, or turned on.

"No. Blaine, no. Don't stop, you dummy. Go shut my door, then get your ass back here and keep kissing me." he winked, and Blaine catapulted off the bed. He shut the door quietly, then crawled back onto the bed, this time settling himself next to his adorable boyfriend.

One kiss on Kurt's forehead led to two on his cheeks, then one on his lips. And another. And another. Three semi-chaste kisses on the lips turned into one more kiss that wasn't so chaste, and one more after that. Things were progressing nicely, with hands under shirts and quickened breathing, when a loud knock broke them apart.

"Keep the damn door open, boys!"

"Kurt." Blaine rested his head on Kurt's shoulder.

"Yeah?" Kurt sighed.

"Your dad hates me, doesn't he?"

* * *

"Pass the syrup, please." Kurt asked David the next morning at breakfast.

"Here ya go." He slid it down the table, sending it right into Kurt's waiting hand. "Nice, man. You've gotten good at that.

"Well," Kurt sighed, as he poured the tiniest bit of syrup onto his pancakes, "since you insist on pretending you're a trick bartender and sliding everything toward people, I figured I'd have to be better at catching things. By the way, you still owe me a new pair of Jeffery-West Rocky boots. I spent almost $600 on those, and that was on sale. I saved up for them for over 6 months!"

"Fine, fine! I'll order them when I get back to the dorms. Just be happy I got my credit card back, my mother still isn't happy about the last bill." David grumbled, then shoved a forkful of fruit into his mouth.

"I keep telling you, if you would just learn to not buy everything your girlfriend wants you to buy, you'd totally be in the clear money-wise. Just saying." Wes patted him on the back, then turned his attention to the blonde boy heading toward their table. "Guys, I think Jeff is coming to sit over here. Is that okay?" He asked Kurt and Blaine.

They both turned around, and Kurt answered for the two of them. "He's fine in my book right now. I mean, we're not best friends or anything, but we're all Warblers, if he wants to sit here, I don't see why not."

"Provided he doesn't do anything stupid, and Kurt's okay with it, I agree." Blaine rubbed Kurt's back comfortingly, and rested his head on his shoulder.

"I won't, I promise." Jeff had walked up while the boys were talking, and had caught the last part of what Blaine had said.

"Cool, man. Sit here, there's room." Eric pulled his backpack off of the chair next to him, and let it fall to the floor to make room for his roommate.

"Awesome." He smiled sheepishly, then took the seat.

"Well, to avoid any awkwardness, can we talk about the graduation songs the seniors have to choose from? I desperately don't want to sing any Green Day." Kurt made a disgusted face. "And so help me Gucci, I will stab the first person that suggests that awful Vitamin C song." Nick put his hand down, realzing that Kurt probably would stab him.

"What, 'Friends Forever'? The epitome of cheesy graduation songs? You don't want to rock your little heart out to that? Oh, and I'd bet you'd look so darn cute with orange hair." Blaine pulled away from Kurt slightly, but it didn't do any good, Kurt's hand slipped from the top of the table onto Blaine's thigh, tightening dangerously.

"Darling? Don't even joke about me with orange hair. You'll regret it." Kurt winked, and kissed him quickly on the cheek before letting go, allowing the blood to flow back to Blaine's knee.

"Regret what? PIssing you off? I doubt it, you're pathetic." Everyone at the table looked up to see a very pissed off Simon Clark, eyes wild, hair messy, and a sneer on his chapped lips.

"Excuse me?" Kurt growled. The rest of the boys at the table just looked stunned; they had no idea what was going on.

"You heard me, you little shit. You're pathetic. Useless. Worthless. You just like to fuck things up. It's all you're good at, screwing shit up." He glared at the younger boy.

"Simon, come on. Just leave him alone." Jeff interjected quietly. "You're not pissed at him, you're pissed at me. Let's just leave them all alone, okay?" He put a hand on Simon's elbow, but Simon shook him off.

"No. Screw that. Why should I listen to you? Fuck you. You were real stupid, you know that? Telling me you didn't want to be with me? Fuck. I was the best thing that ever happened to you." Jeff looked hurt at Simon's words, but kept calm.

"Be mad at me all you want, I understand. But leave Kurt alone, okay? He didn't do anything wrong here. Let's go."

"No, it's fine. We'll go. Talk to you later, guys." Blaine helped Kurt stand up, lifting both their bags onto his shoulder. "See you at lunch."

Kurt started walking ahead of Blaine, keen to get away from the two upset boys at the table, but feeling a bit guilty about leaving them there with Wes, Nick, David and Eric.

"Have fun, little homewrecker. Watch out, there, Blaine, before you know it, he'll be cock-teasing his way into someone else's pants." Simon chuckled as Kurt turned around, rage in his eyes.

"Guys, leave it alone." Wes had stood up, and was now in 'lead Warbler' mode. "Just leave it, okay? The day hasn't even properly started."

"Homewrecker?" Kurt spat. "Seriously? Isn't that a little bit of the kettle calling the pot 'black'? I do believe that out of everybody here, _Simon_, you are the one who is the actual homewrecker. Don't even try to pin whatever happened between you and Jeff on me, when you couldn't respect that he was in a relationship."

Simon moved closer to Kurt and Blaine, slowly encroaching on Kurt's personal space. "Oh yeah? Like you even wanted Jeff enough to fight for him? Just admit it, you never wanted him, you were just biding your time until Blaine here realized he wanted you back. Personally, I don't think Blaine looks like he'd be good in the sack at all, while Jeff here has the tightest little ass-" he never got to finish his sentence; the fist to his nose put a stop to whatever he was going to say.

"Kurt!"

"Holy crap!"

"Duuude!"

A cacophany of voices erupted from their table, and tables around them. No one had expected Kurt to resort to any sort of violence, especially not a punch that hard. Blood dribbled out of Simon's nose, and his hands flew to cover it; it was obvious that Kurt had hit him quite hard, possibly hard enough to break it.

"You little _fucker_!" Simon yelled through his hands, blood still trickling down his jaw.

"Mr. Clark! Mr. Hummel!" everyone in the cafeteria turned to see who had spoken. "My office, immediately." The dean left the room, shaking his head as he went.

"That could have gone better." Blaine whispered, glancing at his pale and slightly terrified boyfriend.

"Oh, yeah. Loads better." Kurt gulped. "My father is going to murder me."

* * *

"So how are you feeling today, Dave?" the therapist sat back in the dark blue hospital chair, trying to get as comfortable as possible.

"Alright, I guess." he shrugged. "I'm really tired today, though."

"Did you not sleep well last night?" The red-haired woman picked up her pen and started scribbling on a notepad.

"Nah." he looked away from her, not entirely comfortable yet in talking to her. Dr. McDaniel was a nice woman, and she seemed like she knew what she was doing, but he wasn't sure that she wasn't secretly judging him.

"Want to tell me why?" Her voice was quiet, and soothing. Her dark brown eyes found his, and he shrugged.

"Couldn't fall asleep. Thinking too much."He looked back down at his lap.

"Thinking too much, huh?" he nodded. "Well, you can tell me what you were thinking about, if you'd like."

He waited a few seconds, thinking over it in his head; it couldn't hurt to tell her, she had some sort of confidentiality thing. "I was thinking about the boy I hurt." he whispered.

"I see."

"I was thinking about how different things could be right now if I had never kissed him to begin with. That's what started all this, you know. I was stupid and kissed him after he yelled at me. I shouldn't have done it." He shook his head, trying to keep the images of that day at bay.

"Why did you kiss him?" she asked, and his head jerked up.

"What?"

"You said that was the start of all this, right? So why did you kiss him? Was it to see what it was like? To get him to stop yelling at you?" She didn't sound judgmental, just curious.

"Um, I guess kind of both." He sighed. "I kind of talked to him about it when he was here, before, but I wasn't a hundred percent up front with him about it." He ran a hand through his short hair, wishing that he had something else to focus on. "I kissed him because I really liked him, okay? I mean, really, really, liked him. He was the first guy I had a crush on that was a real option, and I screwed it up on the first day, and made it so much worse when I kissed him."

"How did you screw it up?" Dr. McDaniel asked, the pen moving swiftly on the notepad.

"The first day I met him? First day of freshman year, and he walks in wearing these white skinny jeans, knee-high boots, and a women's sweater with some sort of sailor hat on his head. It was completely obvious to everyone that he was as gay as the day is long, and I felt this... swoop. In my stomach. I got a little dizzy, and I couldn't take my eyes off him. He was so... pretty. I know that's not a word you use with guys, but he was. We hadn't even made it inside yet, and he walks right over to me, and says 'hi, do you know where I can find locker number 438?'" he chuckles a little at the memory of the angel-faced boy, so innocent, so sweet.

"What happened after that?" her voice was still even, still calm.

"I was gonna say something like, 'no, I'm a freshman too', or something like that. Something kinda nice, you know? I thought hey, new school, new grade, new me. I could be nicer to people, be a better guy. But then my friend Azimio came up, and started glaring at him. I... I called him a lady and told him to get out of my face. He turned bright red, and I think he was about to cry. He just walked away from us, and Az acted like I was a hero or something." Dave went quiet, afraid that he had said too much.

"Hey, it's alright." the therapist reached forward, and rested one hand on his arm. "Our friends can really influence us, especially when we're adolescents. It's nothing to be ashamed about, okay?" she smiled at him, and he felt a little better. "Now, what do you say we take a break, just a few minutes, so I can get us some coffee? I think we both need it."

Dave grinned, and nodded. "Yeah, that sounds good. I could go for some coffee, even if it is just crappy hospital coffee."

"Mm, nothing better." She got up, and made her way out of the room, happy that the boy seemed to be responding well to her. Once out in the hall, she pulled her cell phone out of her blazer pocket, dialing the last called number. "Hey. So, I just started speaking with him. Yeah. Yeah, I know. Just from last week and this week alone, I think he's not meant for jail, though. I think it'd break him. I want to suggest that he be moved to a mental health facility, though."

* * *

"So how's my middle brother doing today?" Mia asked over the phone that night.

"I'm good. I'd be better if I could come see you, though." He grumbled.

"Blainey, you know you can't see me because you might get me sick. They're taking absolutely no risks right now. Even Paul can't come see me, since one of the models he worked with last week got the flu." she sighed.

"I know, I know. Just because I understand doesn't mean I like it, though." He was reclining on his bed in his dorm, waiting for Kurt to text him to tell him he was done with detention. "But anyway, I want to hear how you're doing. How're you feeling? What have the doctors said lately?"

"Well, they said I'm doing better than I was before. Apparently I'm back on track for healing, and they're not worried about any adverse reactions to the chemo. It's nothing amazing, but I'm doing okay. My main doctor is pretty confident that I'll pull through this, if I can just stay on this track." he could hear the smile in her voice.

"That's so awesome, Mia." He stretched a bit, and rolled over to his side. Maybe he'd just take a quick nap after he got off the phone with his sister, after all, it might take Kurt a bit to get done.

"Yeah, I'm feeling pretty good about it." She sighed. "Hey, where's Kurt? I thought he was supposed to be at dinner with the family tonight? You didn't get in another fight, did you? Blaine, I swear to god-"

"No! No, Mia, we're not fighting again. Well, not technically." He chuckled.

"What?"

"Kurt punched Simon today. Broke his nose."

"Seriously?" Mia shrieked.

"Yup." Blaine shook his head at the memory.

"Wow. Didn't know our little Kurtie had it in him."

"Well, I did. Not too sure that I want to see it again, but I gotta say, it was an eye-opener. I never want to piss Kurt off, I think I'd rather poke a sleeping bear."

Blaine heard Mia laugh, then sigh a little. "So what is his punishment? What does your lovely little boarding school do to punish physical violence? Do you have to clean erasers? Write lines?"

* * *

"Mr. Hummel, Mr. Clark, needless to say, I'm very disappointed in the both of you." Both boys had the decency to look abashed. Simon was holding an ice pack to his bandaged nose, and Kurt was rubbing the knuckles on his right hand. "I have no idea what caused this, and honestly, I'm not sure I want to know." The tall and gruff-looking dean stood up, and leaned over his desk, his dark brown eyes hard and cold, and staring at Simon. "Mr. Clark, you've been a model student. Straight A's, star athlete, student council? All I've heard from your teachers lately is how you've been acting out in class, your grades have dropped, and you even lashed out at your lacrosse coach!"

Simon just closed his eyes, feeling the wave of disappointment wash over him.

"And you, Mr. Hummel." Kurt reluctantly looked up at the imposing man, terrified of whatever was going to come his way. "I have heard nothing but how great of a student you are. You're helpful, you're kind, and even though you were injured, your grades have excelled and your teachers rave about how amazing you are in class. You are the last person I expected to be violent in any way, especially with your reasons for coming to Dalton."

"Sir, I provoked him." Kurt and Dean Williams turned to look at Simon.

"What?" Kurt was confused as to why Simon would all of a sudden own up to what he'd done.

"Mr. Clark? Care to explain?" The dean sat back down, and focused on the dark-headed boy.

Simon cleared his throat, then winced as a sharp pain shot through the bridge of his nose. "I provoked him, Dean Williams. I was upset with him for personal reasons, and I said some pretty awful things. I pushed him to the point of violence, and I apologize."

Kurt looked at Simon, not sure if he believed anything he was saying.

"Personal reasons, Mr. Clark? That sounds rather vague to me. Care to explain?"

Simon and Kurt shared a look, one that said 'oh, here we go'. Kurt took control of the situation, and began to speak. "Sir, I was dating Simon's ex-boyfriend, Jeff Lochlan. Jeff cheated on me with Simon, and I was so upset that I took off, and ended up getting attacked by a bully from my old school, and-"

"Stop. Just, stop." Dean Williams held up a hand, and Kurt stopped talking.

"Sorry, sir." Kurt mumbled.

"So all this, the yelling, the punch, the animosity between you two, is over a boy?" The dean looked like he was trying to process information that didn't make much sense to him.

"I, I guess that's right, sir. I never really thought of it that way." Kurt seemed thoughtful, and a bit shamed.

"We really are sorry, it was never our intention for it to get this far." Simon's words were muddled by the ice pack, now dripping cold water down his face and chin.

"Regardless of what your intention was, exactly, Mr. Clark, I cannot allow violence in our halls. Dalton Academy does not allow bullying of any kind, and it seems to me that both of you are guilty of it." He paused to take a deep breath. "According to school policy, bullying results in expulsion."

"Dean Williams! No, please, I-"

"Mr. Hummel, allow me to finish." He leveled a glare at the panicked boy in front of him, and continued. "As I said, school policy tells us that any student who bullies another student is subject to expulsion. However, the dean of the school, which would be me, can override the punishment and find another course of action."

"Which means?" Kurt was impatient, and also terrified that he was going to end up expelled.

"Which means that I am not going to expel either one of you."

"So what's going to happen to us?" Simon asked, wary of the response he'd get.

"Simon, you are going to be on athletic probation for one week, and you'll have detention for the rest of the year. You're getting off rather light here, do you understand?"

"Yes sir, thank you." Simon breathed a sigh of relief.

"And what about me, sir?" Kurt's voice was quiet.

"Kurt, I'm very disappointed in you. Yes, Mr. Clark provoked you, but that is no reason to resort to violence. I expected better from you. Of course, I'll be calling both of your parents, so be prepared to be punished at home as well. But back to the point, Mr. Hummel, you will have detention for the remainder of the school year, and since you're coming back to Dalton in the fall, you'll start out the year with a two week detention. I am also suspending your membership in the Warblers until school resumes in September. No arguments, no complaints."

Kurt was shocked; detention he understood, but being suspended from the Warblers? How was he supposed to tell Blaine? Or worse, Wes?

"Now, go back to your classes. I have to phone your parents." He waved them out of the room, and they both left.

Out in the hall, Simon turned to Kurt, and started to speak. "Before you go back to class, I've got to say that I'm sorry, and I deserved to be punched."

"Well, I'm not going to argue that fact." Kurt sighed, and readjusted his crutches. "I will say, though, that I'm shocked that you took responsibility for what happened. I didn't expect that out of you. What made you do it?" He was genuinely confused as to why Simon would actually own up to being at fault.

"I'm graduating in a few weeks, Kurt. I'm graduating and then going off to college, and I'll probably never see you or Jeff or Blaine ever again. All I could think when the nurse was patching up my nose was that there was no fucking point to any of this bullshit. I mean, I was stupid, I get that, but I'm over all this high school crap. I... I love Jeff, okay? I do. I have for a long time, but I let my mom get in the way of it, and I couldn't stand up for myself. It's my fault that I lost him, and it's my fault that he ended up with you. I love him, but I don't want to fight about it anymore. Okay?" Simon looked exhausted from that speech, and Kurt had to admit that he was right.

"Yeah. Okay. I'm sorry I hit you, but-"

"I provoked you. I know. That's kind of been the theme for the day, hasn't it?" Simon tried to crack a grin, but it strained his nose too much. "Listen, I've got to get to my physics class, I'll see you in detention." With that, he walked away from Kurt, leaving him in the hallway outside the dean's office, wondering what the hell had just happened.

* * *

**Next Time: Kurt finds out what punishment Burt has in store for him, things come to a head for Dave's parents, and Blaine gets a nice surprise.**


	20. Haitus

It's no huge surprise, guys, but this story is on indefinite hiatus. I think I may re-write the whole thing, edit as I go, fix things. I don't like where it ended up, so hopefully soon, we'll have a better version of "As You Wish".

In the meantime, I've been writing a few drabbles, from Glee, Supernatural, Buffy, etc, and those will be up over the next few months.

So, I'm really really sorry, but "As You Wish" is on pause. Thanks for being so patient, guys, I really appreciate it. You're all amazing people.


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